A 5 m high earth fill embankment comprising vertical side-walls constructed from precast concrete wall panels tied together using steel straps was constructed on a 10 m thick deposit of soft clay. Due to the relatively small specified settlement tolerances of the embankment/wall structure, ground improvement in the form of drilled displacement columns (unreinforced concrete columns) was used to improve the engineering properties of the embankment foundation. This paper discusses the design and construction of the embankment and foundation system and compares the predicted settlements with those measured after construction. Discussion on the quality control measures adopted during construction is also provided.