The problem of weak ground conditions is currently of great interest, as with the rapid development of infrastructure, researchers are trying to cope with the improvement of problematic soil properties to build structures on it. In cold regions, the problem of weak soils is further exacerbated by freeze–thaw cycling. For the improvement of soil properties, the soil stabilization method using ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) is commonly applied, but it produces a significant amount of carbon dioxide emissions. Therefore, the purpose of this research study is to present laboratory testing results for the evaluation of soil treatment using Calcium Sulfoaluminate (CSA) cement that has a lesser carbon footprint. On stabilized soil specimens cured for 3, 7, and 14 days and subjected to freeze–thaw cycles, unconfined compressive strength (UCS) and ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV) testing were performed. Samples were prepared at optimum moisture content using different cement content, 3%, 5%, and 7%. Applying the results from the UCS test, the strength loss/gain and resilient modulus of treated soil were obtained. The test results show that the strength and pulse velocity values decreased with the increase of freeze–thaw cycles. However, improvement in soil performance can be observed with the increase in cement content. Overall, the use of CSA as a stabilizer for silty sand would be useful to achieve sufficient strength of subgrade.

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.