In case you are planning to build a new home or structure, it is a must to find the quality of the land and spoil on the property. The process of gathering information and assessing the conditions of the site for the purpose of construction is referred to as geotechnical site investigation, and the information is documented as a geotechnical report.
A geotechnical lab report holds the key to effective planning and management for the construction of a building or house and getting the structure built with minimum costs and effort. This is because once you have the geotechnical site investigation report, you will know if the site is good enough for your needs and foundation. It will determine the soil quality and conditions and if it has the characteristics of supporting a strong foundation. The contractor relies on the geotechnical report during the designing and construction of a project.
Information in the geotechnical report
Even if you are not a professional, you must know what the geotechnical report is all about and what information it provides.
Here is everything that it contains:
- The Geotech report provides an examination of the geotechnical qualities of the soil and carries information on the type, strength, and density of the soil. It offers info on any groundwater and soil compaction and the presence of any organic material or contamination.
- It also recommends a design for the foundation and offers solutions for any predictable problems. The builder and architects can focus on any of those recommendations for site preparation and drainage control that might impact the project later on. Most importantly, the geotechnical report plays a very important role in knowing if the soil conditions are strong enough to support the proposed structure.
- Apart from the above, the report ensures that the site conditions are understood well so that there is no negative impact on the design and performance of the building later on. It classifies the soil strata and offers an insight into the climate and ground temperatures and their impact on the building foundation.
- Geotechnical Consultant summarizes the information in the geotechnical report, and it may relate to site stratigraphy and hydrology, climate, air temperature, and surface hydrology. The report also contains info on the accessibility of granular construction material for foundation base and other foundation options.
- The Geotechnical Consultant guides the builder and architects on how to understand the geotechnical report to understand the site and soil conditions and if there is any need to make adjustments to the building foundation design and material. The Consultant addresses the construction constraints and identifies the optimal construction timetable for the excavation and installation of the foundation.
Based on the info, the builder and architects can plan and guide the construction of the foundation for the building. There can be several meetings and discussions between the Geotechnical Consultant and the building developer and architect. The aim is to go through the geotechnical site investigation and come to a conclusion and acceptance.
Needless to say, this report carries critical information for the client, the architect, the engineer, and the contractor. The structural engineer designs the foundation that should be economical and sturdy while the architect explores different layouts based on variable soil conditions. The contractor seeks to provide excavation and embankment work at a realistic price. This will also let them know which equipment must be used for compaction – a padfoot roller or a smooth roller.
All those jobs and tasks rely heavily on what information is provided to them in the Geotech report. Any failure in the foundation can lead to a ruined and expensive project that can cost millions of dollars. Thus, one should never ignore the geotechnical report and avoid any costly mistakes in the best interests of everyone.
