IntroductionPrediction of the bed deformations of buildings and structures is a priority problem of soil mechanics. Weak clayey soils determine, in many respects, the performance characteristics of buildings in many coastal cities. The existence of a stratum of weak saturated clayey soils 20-30 m thick is characteristic, for example, of the geologic-engineering conditions prevalent in Saint Petersburg. Stronger morainic deposits, and lower-Cambrian or Proterozoic deposits, which are represented by hard clays, reside below of the layer of weak soils.No increase in shear resistance with depth is characteristic of the clayey soils residing above the roof of the hard clays; this is visually apparent during static probing and vane tests. According to the traditional classification, therefore, the soils in question can be characterized as incompletely consolidated soils, which do not, however, exhibit pronounced consolidation during the time required for surveys.Dilational deformations of these soils are encumbered to a significant degree in connection with their low permeability, and changes will occur over the long term. Considering the low strength of these deposits, shape-altering deformations will, as a result, be the basic deformation component. In analyzing the settlements, special attention should be focused on these deformations. Unfortunately, engineering methods of analysis ignore this component, and a not entirely correct description of shape-altering deformations is a basic problem of many nonlinear models.In connection with apparent deficiencies of existing models, we have proposed a nonlinear consolidating elasto-viscoplastic soil model [1]. An independent description of hardening during consolidation and shape-altering deformations is the concept behind construction of the empirical model of soil behavior.With this approach, the model's construction is devoid of any theoretical notions concerning the shape of the "tent" and so forth, and will make it possible to match as closely as possible the performance of the model to experimental results. Actually, differences from experimentation will be determined only by the inaccuracy of the approximation of the functions of plastic shape-altering and consolidation deformations.To account for the development of settlements over time, the elastoplastic problem is solved jointly with problems of seepage consolidation. Moreover, the time delay experienced with shape-altering deformations is considered. Introduction of the relationship between the plastic-strain rate and stress deviator is the simplest