Geo Environmental Engineering
Geo Environmental Engineering
At PWA-Geo, we care deeply about our clients; we put them first in every scenario and those values are no different when it comes to our Geo Environmental Engineering services. We’re dedicated to helping our clients understand how ground conditions interact with and are affected by a proposed development.
You can rest assured that our team will guide you through the planning stages of a development from start to finish.
Our key objective is to delight the client by identifying the best possible solution for their development. This outcome is enhanced by our close interaction with the Paul Waite Associates civils and structures team enabling them to progress quickly and efficiently with your design.
Do you have a construction project that we can help with?
What is geo environmental engineering?
“Also known as ‘geoscience’ or ‘Earth science’, geology is the study of the structure, evolution and dynamics of the Earth and its natural mineral and energy resources.” – What is Geology
Put simply, understanding ground conditions is a fundamental aspect of every development. This is essential to ensure that our clients are fully prepared to take forward their development.
Geo environmental engineering covers a broad range of activities including geotechnical investigation, contaminated land management, geochemical analysis, hydrogeology, ground gas risk assessment, remediation of contaminated sites, coal mining risk assessment, etc
At PWA-Geo, we specialise in understanding how your development interacts with the underlying ground. Our expertise is in identifying, understanding, and resolving problems involving the ground whether they be related to geotechnical engineering or contaminated land.
We’re not afraid to get our hands dirty
We are passionate about getting out on a site to collect the right data to ensure a thorough understanding of the ground conditions.
Our engineers have a wealth of experience investigating all types of locations, from the cleanest of green fields to the dirtiest of brownfield sites, no matter what kind of site you have we are prepared.
Our approach to geo environmental engineering
At PWA-Geo, we follow a phased approach to investigating your site before implementing practical solutions relating to how developments interact with a development site.
What’s more, we will produce your geo-environmental report that addresses specific issues relating to structural and civil engineering aspects of your project. This can only be achieved by sitting around a table and understanding the project from the outset with you, the client, and other stakeholders who are working on a project.
We pride ourselves on the delivery of practical solutions that understand and seek to minimise the risk of your development, ensuring you are informed throughout the journey. Before you buy a site, we can conduct a thorough review of ground conditions to ensure that solutions have been identified for resolving potentially significant development constraints.
Key considerations include likely foundation/floor slab design, ground contamination, ground gas risks, risks associated with former mining activities, poor/unstable ground, etc, helping you understand the risks to maximise the potential of your development.
Phase I and II Investigations
Our reporting is specific to provide you with clarity of the information you need to move forward to the next stage of your development journey.
A Phase 1 investigation is where our assessment starts. This is based upon a review of desk-based information supplemented by a site visit. This allows us to make a preliminary assessment of potential constraints to the development, be they related to contamination or geotechnical issues.
The next stage is a Phase 2 investigation where we roll up our sleeves to make direct observations of ground conditions. Depending on the geology, we will choose the most appropriate technique such as excavating trial pits or drilling boreholes. Representative samples are collected to aid with the characterisation of ground conditions.
Earthworks Strategy and Verification
Unless it’s a flat field, most sites require some form of cut-and-fill to produce the perfect development platform. We can design the earthworks to ensure that the engineered soil meets the design objectives.
We will also supervise the earthworks to ensure they have been carried out in accordance with the project specification.
Remediation & Validation
Sometimes, previous land use may have resulted in contamination meaning that further work is required to ensure a site is suitable for use. We endeavour to design sensible remediation solutions that are easy and cost-effective to implement.
Once all the remediation work is completed, we document the activities that have been carried out in a comprehensive validation report, leaving your site with a clean bill of health and reducing the risk for future users.
Value Engineering
Investing the time to understand your development, the history and site location allows us to ensure the best use of the site. We challenge ourselves to identify the most effective way to manage the development of a site for each and every one of our clients’ projects.
Existing reports may simply identify concerns with a site but doesn’t provide clarity on whether all those problems actually exist. Often, these generic concerns disappear once we are able to gain a greater understanding of a site.
Existing geotechnical reports often provide a generic range of foundation solutions for a site. By working with the thorough knowledge gained working with and alongside the Paul Waite associates civils and structures team, we take into consideration the proposed development platform to provide project specific recommendations.
Another problem with existing generic reports is that they often incorporate overly conservative solutions. To combat this, we study the issues at hand to come up with the most practical advice, so you can be confident you’re only getting efficient solutions from us.
Why Choose PWA Geo
At PWA Geo, our focus is your enjoyment of your development. Our knowledge ensures you receive bespoke information tailored and detailed for your development.
We enjoy our work and are passionate about identifying client-focused solutions. That’s why if you are looking for a practical solution to your development that integrates neatly with structures and civil design aspects, we’re the ideal choice.
To find out more about our geo environmental engineering services, contact the team today who will be happy to answer any questions you have.