The introduction of Eurocode in Kazakhstan allows for the application of modern technological innovations and the elimination of technical barriers for the realization of international projects. It is significant to study the international standards and design requirements provided in Eurocode. This study presents a comparative analysis of Kazakhstani and European approaches for the geotechnical design of foundations and provides the design methods in the considered codes of practice. Three different types of foundations (i.e., raft, pile, and piled raft foundations) were designed following SP RK 5.01-102-2013—Foundations of buildings and structures, SP RK 5.01-103-2013—Pile foundations, and Eurocode 7: Geotechnical design for the Nur-Sultan soil profile. For all three types of foundations, the calculated results of bearing resistance and elastic settlement showed the conservativeness of Eurocode over SNiP-based Kazakhstani building regulations, as the values of bearing resistance and elastic settlement adhering to Kazakhstani code exceeded the Eurocode values. The difference between the obtained results can be explained by the application of higher values of partial safety factors by Eurocode 7. Sensitivity analysis of the bearing resistance on foundation parameters (i.e., raft foundation width and pile length) for the Kazakhstani and European approaches was performed to support the conclusions of the study.

Negative skin friction (NSF) effect on pile foundation design attracts the attention of geotechnical engineers and requires comprehensive research. However, the ways of consideration of NSF for the pile foundation design vary with different design codes. This study aims to compare design code requirements adhering to Construction Codes and Regulations (i.e., SNiP), Eurocode 7 (EC7), Canadian Highway Bridge Design Code (CHBDC), and AASHTO for the pile foundation design subjected to NSF and provide insights for the understanding effect of NSF on the behavior of pile foundation. The overall objective is achieved by designing three cases of a driven pile for given design conditions in Astana city. Then, a sensitivity analysis was performed to estimate the effects of the dimensions of the pile foundation and the shear strength of soils on the bearing resistance. The comparative analysis shows that pile foundation design adhering to CHBDC and AASHTO results in a more conservative strategy than SNiP and EC7 when considering Kazakhstani soil engineering conditions.

The design of shallow foundations is performed in accordance with different building regulations depending on geotechnical and geological conditions. This paper involves the design calculations applying Kazakhstani and European approaches. The design of shallow foundations in Nur-Sultan city in Kazakhstan was implemented by the calculation of bearing capacity and elastic settlement in accordance with the design procedures provided in SP RK 5.01-102-2013: Foundations of buildings and structures, and Eurocode 7: Geotechnical design. The calculated results of bearing capacity and elastic settlement for two types of shallow foundations, such as pad foundation and strip foundation, adhering to Kazakhstani and European approaches are relatively comparable. However, the European approach provided higher values of bearing capacity and elastic settlement for the designed shallow foundation compared to the Kazakhstani approach. The difference in the results is explained by the application of different values of partial factors of safety for the determination of bearing capacity and different methods for the calculation of the elastic settlement of shallow foundations (i.e., elasticity theory and layer summation method).

Since 2015 the transition from the traditional seismic design regulation to the newly developed code of practice has been initiated in Kazakhstan. The introduced regulatory system involves the application of the European approach for the seismic design of buildings and structures on the territory of Kazakhstan. This study aims to present a comparative analysis of seismic design codes applied in Kazakhstan (i.e., SP RK 5.01-102-2013* Foundations of Buildings and Structures and SP RK 2.03-30-2017* Construction in Seismic Regions) and SP RK EN 1998-5:2004/2012 Design of Structures for Earthquake Resistance, identical to Eurocode 8 (EC8). One of the critical aspects of the research investigates the difficulties of integrating European design standards into the local regulatory system. The necessity of applying the European approach considering the geotechnical features of the country provided in the National Annex (NA) is defined and proved. The designed codes of practice are also compared in terms of conservativeness, when considering a design problem verifying the seismic bearing capacity of a shallow foundation in Almaty city.