The most important component of sustainable construction is the land on which structures stand. Property development has not yet destroyed many building sites beyond re-use, but some examples already exist. The industry is making steady progress towards destroying many more sites. Structures, since the beginning of civilization, have for the most part used raft or strip foundations which made very little intrusion into the land on which they stood. On a minority of structures piled foundations were used where loads had to be carried through soft soils down to a load bearing strata. Through most of the evolution of cities these piles were of timber. Timber piles either bio degrade and disappear in time or, in the absence of oxygen, remain well preserved and can be removed, as they retain their tensile properties.
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