Foundation of embankments on sand or stone columns and on geosynthetic encased columns (GEC) are one of the most popular methods of an improvement of a weak subsoil with a low bearing capacity and a low stiffness. This methods enable construction of structures which tolerate some settlements over weak soils by transferring the load to the stiffer underlying layer and lead to improvement of soft soil between columns due to consolidation. Due to their higher stiffness, the columns are much more loaded then the surrounding soft soil. Existing design methods for the geotextile encased columns omit some important aspects, such as: soil improvement during installation of columns (especially by displacement method), settlement of the base of columns, etc.. This paper presents a design model for Geosynthetic Encased Columns which can be useful, especially for the design of foundations on ultra soft organic soils. Based on large parametric studies the influence of the most significant factors on the mechanical behavior of GEC model will be presented and discussed in the paper.
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