Buildings set shallowly on clay soil are subject to various displacements in their individual parts, to put it very simply, due to shrinkage and swelling of clay (87). Ground layers in the dry and hot season, especially when exposed to sunlight, they dry out due to the evaporation of water to the depth 2,0 m, and even deeper. As the soil dries out, shrinkage develops, on the other hand, when irrigated, the soil swells. The foundations laid in the zone of operation of these processes are deformed, which in turn entails damage to the upper parts of the building.
Loess soils behave similarly, except that in the event of an increase in moisture caused by weather conditions or, for example,. local leakage of the water supply or sewage system, the structure of the soil changes, there is a rapid loss of strength followed by collapse settlement (additional settlement) causing damage to buildings (07>.
The development of a concept for securing buildings damaged as a result of ground movements caused by the phenomena described above must, as a rule, be preceded by thorough research of the soil itself, the depth of layer deposition and the method of foundation. At the same time, it is necessary to observe the behavior of the load-bearing layers of the soil under load, especially its deformations and the behavior of the building itself. Therefore, it becomes necessary to carry out systematic geodetic measurements.