Geotechnics stakes

The activity of building has got considerably more complicated in the last few years: shortage of building land, growing environmental requirements, society becoming ever more litigious, changes in construction technologies, increasing concern to save money.

In the front line of this increasing complexity is the geotechnical side of structures, earthworks, retaining structures, and foundations in particular.

Without proper mastery of the geotechnics, the project cannot succeed.

Geotechnics is a complex science. It is a scholarly mix between theory and empiricism, between continuous medium mechanics and engineers’ personal experience. Modelling the soil-structure interaction depends on the nature of the soils, the nature and intensity of the forces, the geometry of the contact between the structure and the ground, the construction techniques used, and the phasing of the works.

The cost of a geotechnical study bears no relation to the financial stakes in a project. A comprehensive geotechnical study, including all the missions in the NF P 94-500 standard, represents a very small percentage of structure costs.

A serious geotechnical study presents considerable advantages, savings for the project owner, security for the project manager, and productivity for the contractor.