Geotechnical Engineering
Our Geotechnical Engineering team understands the ground beneath your feet and how it can impact your project.
Early Geotechnical involvement in your project is key to ensuring effective risk and feasibility assessments are completed, resulting in practical and efficient solutions for your project.
Our Geotechnical team works closely with you every step along the way, ultimately allowing them to utilise the right methodologies at the right time to add true value to your project.
The team are specialists in; investigating physical properties of rock and soil, ground and laboratory testing methodologies and have in depth regional geological knowledge to draw upon. Our expert team has CPEng (Geotechnical) accredited Engineers, as well as having multiple Category 1 Geo professionals with Tauranga City Council and registered professionals on the Auckland Producer Statement.
Our Geotechnical Engineering services include:
Geotechnical Desktop Assessment and Geotechnical Reporting
Pre-purchase and due diligence assessments
Site investigations and advice
Residential geotechnical reports
Resource and Building Consent Geotechnical Reports
Geological hazard identification and assessment
Consultation and review of any previous Geotechnical work undertaken
Geotechnical Specific Assessment and Detailed Design
Shallow and deep foundation design
Liquefaction analysis
Slope stability analysis
Settlement analysis
Landslip assessment and remediation
Ground improvement solutions
Pile design
Retaining structure wall design
Ground improvement solutions
Infrastructure design (culverts, bridges, reservoirs)
Providing recommendations and specifications for all scale of earthworks
Design of onsite stormwater and wastewater disposal and treatment systems
Geotechnical Site Investigations
Geomorphic mapping
Hand auger investigations
Cone Penetrometer Testing (CPT) and Machine Borehole supervision
Laboratory soil testing
Soil permeability testing (for onsite stormwater design)
Liaison with underground service locators, geophysical survey, and other specialist geotechnical testing contractors
Geotechnical Professional Construction Services
Liaison with Councils and other professionals
Geotechnical Construction Monitoring
Producer statements (PS1, PS2, and PS4)
Featured Geotechnical Projects
FAQs
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This depends on what your project is and the requirements of your local council. If you are unsure, feel free to get in touch with us or otherwise speak to the council directly. If you are building a house or a liveable shed, you will most likely need a geotechnical report to support your building consent application.
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A geotechnical site investigation involves our engineers heading to your site to conduct hand augers and other handheld testing to log the soils and check the soil strength in the proposed building location. Depending on your site location additional deeper testing may be required however this will be included when we provide you with a quote.
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A liquefaction assessment determines the potential for soil to lose its strength and behave like a liquid during an earthquake, which is known as liquefaction. You will likely need one if you are building on land identified as potentially susceptible to liquefaction, especially in earthquake-prone areas. Our geotechnical reports include a liquefaction assessment.
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Our BCD Geotechnical Team can design retaining walls. With the help of detailed design software, we can assess the behaviour of the soils at your site to provide the most cost effective retaining solutions.
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Our Geotechnical Team can provide the design of onsite stormwater and wastewater disposal systems. If your site is rural or not able to be connected to the council wastewater or stormwater mains, then it is likely that you will be required to dispose of your stormwater and wastewater on site. If you aren’t sure whether you require these for your new build, please get in touch and we can assist.
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Construction monitoring is undertaken during the construction stage of the project, once building consent has been granted. Each project will have specific hold points at which engineering inspections are required to confirm the work is being completed according to the design. For geotechnical construction monitoring for a new dwelling, we typically observe the cleared subgrade (after topsoil has been removed) and the compaction of any hardfill.
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A Producer Statement (PS) is a professional opinion that confirms that a building project complies with the New Zealand Building Code. A PS4 Geotechnical can be provided by BCD after all required construction monitoring inspections have been completed. A PS4 can be a requirement for a Code of Compliance Certificate (CCC).
