In the course of construction project development, the architect must take into consideration a number of natural and technology-related factors, which can affect the structural integrity and operational lifetime of the facility. One of the crucial factors is represented by individual features of the construction site (presence of slopes, homogeneity of soil, its density/looseness, groundwaters level and humidity).

All the above-mentioned factors are to be taken into consideration, since the characteristics of the construction site have a direct impact on the future subsidence of the building – its speed, direction, amplitude, and steadiness. In the case of any mistakes in the calculation of the subsidence, there may be negative consequences for the building. At its best, the building will be covered with a network of cracks, which negatively affect both exterior of the building and heat insulation and waterproof properties of walls and slabs. However, more negative consequences (and even decay of the building) are still possible.

Foundation subsidence monitoring is implemented both at the construction stage and in the course of building operation. It is also necessary to make sure that the foundation subsidence occurs in full compliance with the design specifications. In an ideal scenario, this process should occur steadily along with the entire construction site. In this case, there will not occur any structural defects and the building will be operated throughout the entire designed lifetime. The situation is much worse in the case if the building monitoring reveals uneven subsidence (i.e., deeper subsidence of the foundation in particular areas). As a result, there may occur foundation bending or displacement, which, in its turn, may lead to cracking and bending of walls, deformation or bending of horizontal slabs. In the worst scenario, there may occur partial or even complete decay of the building. Since all the accidents relating to unforeseen destruction of buildings or any other engineering facilities pose a threat to health and life of people, and may result into considerable monetary losses, it is extremely important to implement effective means of monitoring for foundation, walls and slabs. Implementation of such systems is of utmost importance for the structures, which are regularly exposed to the adverse impact of technology-related or natural factors. For instance, if a building is installed at the unstable ground in direct vicinity to a highway, which produces constant vibrations, etc. In order to address these issues, it is possible to implement regular expert surveys of buildings and structures, that are exposed to certain threats.

However, automated software and hardware suites, also referred to as SHM systems (structural health monitoring systems) are becoming more and more popular.