Main Page | See live article | Alphabetical index Floating raft is type of foundation, invented by John Root, that protects against settlement and the liquification of soft soil due to seismic activity. It was a necessary innovation in the development of tall buildings in the wet soil of Chicago in the 19th century. For a floating raft foundation, or floating foundation, the foundation has a volume such that were that volume filled with soil, it would be equal in weight to the total weight of the structure. This article is from Wikipedia. All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.