The interaction effects between adjacent strip footings is of interest to the geotechnical design of structural foundations. The present paper examines the consolidation behaviour of interacting rigid strip footings resting on the surface of a soil layer of finite thickness. The rigid nature of the footings is simulated by constraining the vertical displacements under the footing using the multi-point constraint technique. The soil is modelled by composite-type finite and mapped infinite elements which can simulate the behaviour of an unbounded saturated soil medium. The numerical results presented in the paper indicate the manner in which the consolidation settlement response of the interacting foundations is influenced by the spacing between them and the drainage conditions at the various free surfaces and interfaces. © 1990.