Foundations for the Future: Thermo-active Piling Engineering

The urban subsurface represents a critical underutilized resource for addressing the rising energy and infrastructure demands of modern cities. Among the emerging technologies that use this potential, energy geostructures offer an innovative, sustainable, and cost-effective solution. By integrating geotechnical engineering principles with energy functionality, these systems provide both structural stability and renewable heating and cooling energy for buildings and infrastructure. Over the past three decades, extensive research has advanced the understanding of the behavior of different types of energy geostructures, including energy piles, barrettes, walls, and slabs, and analytical and numerical tools have been developed to support their design and optimization. This study synthesizes a number of these advancements, focusing specifically on building foundations, and emphasizes the transition from theoretical research to practical implementation. Through discussion of key design methodologies and real-world case studies, it highlights the critical role of energy geostructures in reducing fossil fuel dependence, enhancing energy efficiency, and contributing to the decarbonization of the built environment.