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The Cost of Unforeseen Ground Conditions

The Cost of Unforeseen Ground Conditions
Our Geotechnical Site Investigation is a relatively small price to pay compared the value of your build which brings significant risk. The sooner you get clarity on your site’s prospects, the sooner you and your design team can make even better decisions.

Geotechnical Consultants Committed to Getting Your Site Safely Built

Your specialist Geotechnical Consultant is part of a dedicated team of Chartered professionals who have been successfully gaining regulatory approval for clients all over the UK, ensuring that their sites are safe and compliant places to live and work.

Our Geotechnical Site Investigations are expertly prepared by experienced consultants who are committed to providing you with technically robust reports that are tailored to meet your plans for the site.

  • Tick Icon Reduce your risk, by gaining valuable insights
  • Tick Icon Technically robust report, written to highest standards
  • Tick Icon Eurocode compliant, following British Standards

Meet Your Consultant

Geotechnical Site Investigation

Our Consultants can review your site and guide you through the complex process of undertaking a Geotechnical Site Investigation, so you can get your site approved and built.

They are ready to get started.

Get Your Site Safely Built

1

Get Proposal

Answer a few questions, so together we can come up with a plan that fits your timescales and budget.

2

Site Investigation

We work through the complex process of organising the site works and carrying out the Site Investigation.

3

Receive Report

Written with an engineer in mind, so they know what action to take for design purposes.

Could You Require A Geotechnical Site Investigation?

Geotechnical investigations are mainly required to determine the nature of the ground conditions and enable a structural engineer to design the foundations of a building.

Developments of all sizes may require a Geotechnical Site Investigation to accurately aid in the design of foundations, roads, retaining walls and drainage.

A Geotechnical Site Investigation typically involves the testing of soil and groundwater to understand the engineering capacity of the soils.

The type of testing depends on the type of structures proposed and location of the site relative to the anticipated ground conditions and geology. This is normally understood in advance using a Desk Study.

Geo Technical Site Investigation

Geotechnical investigations are typically required to determine the nature of the ground conditions and aid with the design of foundations, drainage systems and / or outline design. The scale of developments that may require a geotechnical investigation can range from domestic extensions to large scale commercial premises, on brownfield or greenfield land.

Lustre Consulting has gained valuable experience carrying out preliminary geotechnical investigations, typically combined with a Phase 2 Site Investigation to form a geo-environmental investigation. Such investigations are designed to assess both the environmental and geotechnical ground conditions within one combined investigation providing a more efficient and cost-effective approach. Our geo-environmental investigations enable the early identification of potential constraints posed by the condition of the ground, and if required, an indication of engineering solutions.

Each investigation is site specific with the chosen exploratory method(s) depending on the site access, ground conditions and likely foundations (e.g. deep piles or traditional shallow pad foundations). Available methods include:

  • Hand excavated pits and hand augering (particularly when assessing existing foundations).
  • Machine excavated trial pits.
  • Window sample boreholes.
  • Dynamic probes.
  • Cable percussive boreholes.
  • Rotary boreholes.

During the investigation and depending on the ground conditions, a variety of techniques can be employed to assess the engineering capacity of the soils, including:

  • Standard Penetration Tests (SPTs).
  • Cone Penetration Tests (CPTs).
  • In-situ tests using a penetrometer and / or shear vane.
  • Recovery of undisturbed samples (such as UT100s).
  • Recovery of disturbed samples (bulk bags).

Lustre Consulting also has extensive experience in carrying out Soakage Testing to determine whether soakaways would be a suitable drainage option.

Lustre Consulting prides themselves on designing cost effective investigations to determine the nature and engineering capacity of the ground across the site.

To meet your requirements and ensure you remain compliant, all our geo-environmental investigations are carried out in accordance with current British Standards and BRE Guidance Notes, with reference to the relevant Eurocodes where applicable.

All investigations are carried out by qualified and competent consultants who are experienced in the recovery of samples, in situ testing and soil logging to British Standards. Our findings are always detailed in a transparent and interpretative report with clear and helpful conclusions, including any early considerations for foundation and / or drainage design.

These are some frequently asked questions when commissioning Geotechnical Site Investigation:

Do I need a Geotechnical Site Investigation?
Do you have any NHBC requirements attached to your development? If so, the conditions may have details which require a Geotechnical Site Investigation to assess ground conditions for foundation design.

How long does a Geotechnical Site Investigation take?
In terms of programming, we will usually require at least 1 to 2 weeks from receipt of formal instruction to mobilise onsite depending on the scale of the investigation. The geotechnical analysis on soils will take up to four weeks after submission of the last soil sample.

What if there is limited space or access on my site?
We will assess the testing requirements of your site as well as any access restrictions when we prepare our site investigation proposal. Our experienced consultants have worked on a range of sites where access restrictions have been overcome.

How to you avoid underground services when doing your investigation?
A site investigation should not commence until the location of all services has been determined as they pose a significant health and safety risk. If up-to-date plans are not available, we recommend requesting them from the utility companies. If timescales are tight, we recommend a service clearance survey which can be combined with a level survey or a topographical survey if required.

How can I be sure I need a Geotechnical Investigation?
If you are unsure as to whether you require a Geotechnical Site Investigation, please give us a call, so together we can discuss your requirements. Alternatively, please send an email to info@lustreconsulting.com and provide us with the site location and description of the proposed development.

Sites Successfully Approved and Built

Lustre Consulting was appointed by a private property owner to undertake a Basement Impact Assessment (BIA) to support a planning application involving the construction of a basement below part of the existing residential property. The site is situated within the London Borough of Lambeth, whose Local Plan states that “an assessment of the scheme’s impact […]

Lustre Consulting was appointed by a private property owner to...

Cotswold Mews Ltd in Battersea Square, London is to be redeveloped from commercial office space into residential apartments. Lustre Consulting was appointed to carry out a Phase 1 Desk Study and Flood Risk Assessment to support the planning application. The aim of the Phase 1 Desk Study was to identify any potential sources of contamination at […]

Cotswold Mews Ltd in Battersea Square, London is to be...

This site was granted planning permission by the Secretary of State for the development of 350 100% affordable low rise houses and apartments. The site comprises approximately 24ha of open space, bisected by a former sand pit and pond. Site investigations undertaken since the 1990s found the pond (1ha in area and up to 4m […]

This site was granted planning permission by the Secretary of...

A Geotechnical Site Investigation was required by the London Borough of Southwark to confirm ground conditions at 12 residential terraced properties. These occupied residential dwellings belonged to local authority housing and were all experiencing various levels of wall cracking. The geotechnical investigations were required to confirm the nature and properties of the underlying substrata, including […]

A Geotechnical Site Investigation was required by the London...

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