Throughout history, humans have endeavored to build magnificent structures that push the limits of what was thought to be possible. The Egyptians built the Great Pyramids, the Greeks built the Colossus of Rhodes, and the Chinese built the Great Wall. Each of these structures, and their counterparts throughout the world, are marvels of beauty and engineering excellence. But we often take for granted the portions of these structures that we do not see – the foundations. Generally, nobody takes notice of the foundations unless something goes wrong. Would the Leaning Tower of Pisa be famous if the foundations did not experience differential settlement? And how is it that more structures have not suffered a similar (or worse) fate?
