Ventilation and house wellness thanks to Geoplast’s Foundation Systems

Ventilated foundations with Geoplast’s Modulo

Geoplast’s Modulo is a permanent plastic formwork system used to realize foundation slabs between 3 and 70 cm in residential, commercial and industrial buildings. Its particular design allows a crawl space suitable for the creation of ventilated foundation, thus reducing humidity and Radon Gas, and improving health and safety.

Since the ancient times, it is known that direct contact with the ground is not healthy, as it makes buildings and people exposed to Radon gas and rising damp issues. Radon is an odorless and colorless gas that can be found in variable quantities in the Earth’s crust and tends to accumulate in closed, unventilated rooms, especially in ground floors. It is classified as one of the most carcinogenic and harmful substances for humans, being the second cause of lung cancer after cigarette smoking.
The soil is also a heterogeneous mixture of solid elements, air, and water. Water can cause serious issues when in contact with a traditional foundation: infiltrations, cold, humid and unhealthy environments, condensation, mold, as well as the possibility of deterioration of the timber elements of the structure.

It is possible to defend ourselves against Radon Gas and rising damp by choosing to realize ventilated foundations. This innovative yet simple solution is synonymous with healthy houses and guarantees uniform and natural air circulation between the ground level and the ground floor, thus avoiding the direct contact.

Geoplast’s Modulo, permanent crawl space formwork

Geoplast’s Modulo consists in a permanent formwork in recycled polypropylene that creates a system of pillars and arches which support the ground floor slab once the concrete is poured on it. Such a structure permits a uniform stress distribution all over the surface, thus producing an excellent static and dynamic load-bearing capacity.

Installation of Geoplast’s Modulo 

Modulo guarantees a wide number of benefits:

• Insulation from humidity and no cracks on walls, as ventilated foundations make houses structurally stronger;
• Radon gas mitigation, while diluting it into the atmosphere thanks to air circulation;
• Possibility to add services beneath before and after completion;
• Adaptability for any type of construction and building application (brickwork structure, frames made from in-situ/timber/steelwork);
• Use with every soil classification and with a wide range of depths.

Compared to the use of traditional inert materials, Modulo allows savings in terms of transport and installation and guarantees a faster
installation up to the 80%.

More about Geoplast’s Foundations Solutions