At grade
‘Grade’ is a term used to describe the level of the earth at a specific location or at ground level. In construction, the terms ‘above grade’ and ‘below grade’ can be used respectively to describe the portion of a building that is above or below the ground. In tunnelling, the invert of a tunnel may be described as being 25m below grade or ground level.
High Speed Rail (Crewe – Manchester) Environmental Statement, Glossary, abbreviations and references, published by the Department for Transport in 2022, defines at grade as: ‘At the same height (e.g., when a railway line is at the same height as the existing ground level).’
In the US, an ‘at grade’ intersection will have roads or rail tracks – or a combination of both –arranged on the same level. Where a road and rail track intersect at grade, a level crossing will normally be in place. A river may also be said to be at grade (or level) with the land (as opposed to being in a deep valley).
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings
Featured articles and news
Government responds to the final Grenfell Inquiry report
A with a brief summary with reactions to their response.
A brief description and background to this new February law.
Everything you need to know about building conservation and the historic environment.
NFCC publishes Industry White Paper on Remediation
Calling for a coordinated approach and cross-departmental Construction Skills Strategy to manage workforce development.
'who blames whom and for what, and there are three reasons for doing that: legal , cultural and moral"
How the Home Energy Model will be different from SAP
Comparing different building energy models.
Mapping approaches for standardisation.
UK Construction contract spending up at the start of 2025
New construction orders increase by 69 percent on December.
Preparing for the future: how specifiers can lead the way
As the construction industry prepares for the updated home and building efficiency standards.
Embodied Carbon in the Built Environment
A practical guide for built environment professionals.
Updating the minimum energy efficiency standards
Background and key points to the current consultation.
Heritage building skills and live-site training.
Shortage of high-quality data threatening the AI boom
And other fundamental issues highlighted by the Open Data Institute.
Data centres top the list of growth opportunities
In robust, yet heterogenous world BACS market.
Increased funding for BSR announced
Within plans for next generation of new towns.