Before you put nail to hammer, it’s important to ensure you’ve covered every base prior to construction, especially where land development is concerned. Whether you’re developing a small residential property, a multi-unit complex, or breaking ground on a new shopping mall, geotechnical investigations play a critical part in helping your build team identify and respond to the specific needs of the site, as well as any present environmental risk factors. The information gathered by geotechnical engineers offers a wealth of benefits to your project and helps ensure the final result is safe and built to last for the long term. Below, we’ll highlight just a few of the pros of partnering with a geotechnical firm for land development purposes. Read on to learn more.
What is Geotechnical Engineering/Investigation?
The field of geotechnical engineering is concerned with analyzing and reacting to the material composition of elements found at a proposed build site. Materials involved in the investigation will typically include soil, asphalt, concrete and more. Geotechnical investigations will closely evaluate these elements, as well as any known environmental factors that could cause damage to the materials or complicate your build, such as earthquakes, floods, extreme climate changes, etc. Geotechnical engineers then take this data and compile reports that provide a customized list of recommendations as to how to move forward safely with construction. Additional benefits to partnering with a geotechnical firm include:
Savings: Knowing exactly what you’re working with in terms of foundational materials and related challenges makes it far easier to identify the right methods of development, saving your team time and money in the long run. Soil testing also helps to reduce the chances of over-excavation and other costly errors that can quickly eat through your bottom line, giving you plenty more funds to allocate to construction.
A Clear Path Forward: It’s no secret that one of the biggest and most difficult to overcome challenges facing construction crews is coming up with a design plan that caters to unseen elements beneath the ground surface. Geotechnical investigations remove any ambiguity and give your designers access to a highly trained consultant that can help them navigate the specific challenges of your build site, including amending outdated build reports, and accounting for any previously unidentified foundational issues like cracks or fissures.
In addition, having clear and coordinated specifications prepared by a geotechnical, team helps to reduce confusion among all involved parties and allows for an efficient build schedule that keeps you on track and on budget.
Unbeatable Quality
As we’ve mentioned above, hiring a geotechnical firm to conduct a thorough investigation of your job site enables you, your designers and your build crew to move forward with confidence. Having a team of experts on your side means you’ll always have access to the data you need to make an informed decision and create a final product that achieves exactly what is required without compromising on safety or performance.
Ready to Learn More?
Learn more about the benefits of partnering with an exceptional geotechnical engineering firm like ProtechGeo by contacting us today. We’re proud to serve the Edmonton area and offer full-scale geotechnical investigative services including materials testing, lab testing, project management and more.