Patent ID: 7127865

Claim:
A method for constructing a below-grade foundation, comprising: providing a pre-fabricated wall panel having a hollow frame member with first and second faces generally parallel to one another, said faces being connected by a plurality of ribs spanning a space therebetween, said first and second faces and ribs consisting essentially of a polymeric material; placing said pre-fabricated wall panel at least partially below-grade such that at least one of said faces of said wall panel is in contact with soil and bears sustained lateral soil loading, where said pre-fabricated wall panel concurrently bears sustained compressive loading from additional structural elements supported by said wall panel; placing a sill comprising a polymeric material on a below-grade surface, said sill being suitable for receiving a lower end of the wall panel, said sill having a generally continuous interior surface supporting both faces and the ribs of the wall panel and thereby distributing a wall panel compressive load over an area greater than a cross-sectional area defined by the lower end of the wall panel; anchoring, at least temporarily, the lower end of the wall panel to the below-grade sill; and affixing to a top of the wall panel a top plate for attaching the additional structural elements thereto.