60 | T T Russell Fredric Ground conditions a critical factor The company undertakes geotechnical assessments for projects ranging from residential homes and subdivisions to more complex commercial developments across Tasman, Marlborough and the upper South Island. “Our key markets are new builds, subdivisions and landslip repairs, or any sort of other natural hazard assessment. Pretty much anywhere you build in New Zealand is going to require some sort of hazard to be addressed.” CONTRACTING GeoSolutions From steep building sites to stormdamaged hillsides, understanding ground conditions beneath a site can be the difference between a project running smoothly or facing delays and cost overruns. As an independent consultancy, GeoSolutions provides specialist geotechnical services across the top of the South Island, helping developers and project teams understand the ground conditions that shape how a site can be safely developed. Sally Hargraves, a professional engineering geologist and chartered member of Engineering New Zealand, owns the Mapuabased business and leads its technical work. “Our key markets are new builds, subdivisions and landslip repairs, or any sort of other natural hazard assessment. Pretty much anywhere you build in New Zealand is going to require some sort of hazard to be addressed,” Sally says. The company undertakes geotechnical assessments for projects ranging from residential homes and subdivisions to more complex commercial developments across Tasman, Marlborough and the upper South Island. Understanding ground conditions early is critical for most projects. Geotechnical assessments help determine how foundations should be designed, how stormwater should be managed, and whether slopes or surrounding landforms could create issues for future buildings. “If you don’t get your geotech done properly, there’s a good chance you could have settlement under part of the house,” Sally says. “We see cases where buildings have been constructed over poorly compacted fill, or other ground conditions that weren’t fully understood.” Problems such as settlement, cracking or drainage failures may not appear immediately; they can emerge months or years after construction if the ground beneath a building has not been properly investigated and dealt with. Alongside new developments, GeoSolutions is often involved in investigating and repairing damage following major weather events. Landslips can take years to resolve, with engineering assessments and design work needed to stabilise affected properties. One project GeoSolutions worked on involved a large landslip above a relatively inaccessible house in Nelson City. Working with structural engineers and specialist contractors, the team developed a stabilisation solution that allowed the house to be safely reoccupied and insured again. The consultancy is also asked to review or refine designs when ground conditions present unexpected complications. In one project in Blenheim, GeoSolutions reviewed foundation plans for a new building after concerns were raised about whether the original design was overly conservative. “We looked at the analysis and realised it didn’t seem right. By reassessing the ground conditions and redesigning the foundations, we were able to come up with a different solution that saved the client a significant amount of money,” says Sally. Projects like that highlight the collaborative nature of geotechnical work. GeoSolutions typically operates as part of a wider project team that may include planners, surveyors, architects, structural engineers and contractors. “Because we’re a small independent geotechnical consultancy, we’re always collaborating with other people on projects.” A good portion of the team’s time is spent on-site, working alongside contractors, carrying out inspections and solving problems as they arise during construction. “That’s where the real value is added – during construction, when you can problemsolve issues that are arising on site,” says Sally. New Zealand geotechnical engineers also benefit from access to well-resourced national data resources. One lasting outcome of the Christchurch earthquakes was the creation of a national geotechnical database to which practitioners upload soil testing results. The shared resource allows engineers to access nearby historical data, reducing duplicated investigations and costly testing. It also supports advanced seismic research at universities and helps improve project efficiency for clients. Despite a nationwide skills shortage of engineering geologists, the work is attractive to people that enjoy combining science with analysis and practical problem solving in the field, and is a career that rarely looks the same from one day to the next, Sally says. “I absolutely love my job. It’s a fantastic job – you get to work in some really interesting places and every day you’re solving different problems.” PROJECT MANAGEMENT ∙ ARCHITECTURAL NEW BUILDS & RENOVATIONS Proud to support GeoSolutions
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NDc2Mzg=