Providing safe and cost-effective foundations for civil infrastructures with sufficient load bearing capacity and curtailed long-term settlement are utmost priorities for infrastructure development in most countries. Many areas of the world, including coastal zones and alluvial regions, consist of soft compressible clay deposits with a significant depth. In order to satisfy stringent bearing capacity and settlement criteria for long-term sustainability and low-cost maintenance, the adoption of deep foundations is widely a sensible solution. Deep foundations not only transmit the superstructure loading to the stronger and stiffer subsoil beneath, but they also assist in reducing short-term and long-term settlement of infrastructure. The most common types of deep foundations adopted are pile foundations, caissons, buoyancy rafts, cylinder and shaft foundations, among others.

Deep foundations, supporting major structures including high-rise buildings, offshore structures, and transport infrastructures such as waterway bridges, railways, and highways are usually subjected to complex loading conditions owing to the effects of wind, waves, and traffic movement. This necessitates the analysis and design of the deep foundations against safety and serviceability requirements employing adequate analytical and numerical tools, associated with experimentations (laboratory tests or field-based studies). In densely populated urban areas, the design and construction of major infrastructure needs to confront special challenges to safeguard the existing foundations of other important structures.

This Special Issue aims to provide insight into planning, design, construction, maintenance, and monitoring of deep foundations with reference to current trends, challenges, and future directions. Technical papers from researchers, professional engineers, specialist contractors, government regulators, and industry leaders covering this general theme are welcome. Original research and review articles are welcome.

Potential topics include but are not limited to the following:

• Pile foundations including piled raft
• Caissons
• Hollow buoyancy raft
• Cylinders and shaft foundations
• Deep foundations under dynamic and cyclic loading
• Analytical and numerical modelling
• Laboratory experimentations and/or field-based investigations
• Challenges of deep foundation construction in populated urban regions
• Case studies and design recommendations
• Evaluation of long-term performance of deep foundations
• Sustainable development of deep foundations