I amsterdam - A City on Pilings

Builders in Amsterdam have always had to take the water into account, even now that sturdy dikes provide sufficient protection against the sea. The seawater, which for centuries regularly flooded this area, has left a soft peat layer, which makes 'normal' house-building almost impossible. In the Middle Ages, people used to build their houses out of wood, to keep weight to a minimum, but reducing subsidence. After a number of fierce fires, which reduced large parts of Amsterdam to ashes, the construction of wooden houses was forbidden in 1669.

However, the construction of much heavier brick and stone houses demanded very special preparations. To make them durable, building foundations were laid on a large number of wooden pilings, which were driven about eleven metres down into the ground. There, the pilings rested on a sturdy sand layer and were able to bear the weight of the walls. Driving the pilings was an incredible feat when done by hand. Large buildings like the Royal Palace on Dam Square needed a lot of support - for this colossal construction no less the 13,659 pilings were driven into the ground. For more than three centuries, these same wooden pilings have protected the Palace from collapse.

Buildings are constructed this way to this very day. However, not all rest on wooden pilings -- wood was partially replaced by concrete after the Second World War. Further, the pilings sink in deeper these days, to the second sand layer about 20 metres below the surface. Tall, heavy office and apartment blocks rest on pilings that extend down as far as the third sand layer (about 60 metres down).

Often housing and building construction site make use of a procedure known as heien – pilings are plunged into the ground with a massive machine, which can cause for much noise and irritation, but assures for a steady foundation.