SITE INVESTIGATION

Analysing Below Ground for a Range of Clients

Unforeseen ground conditions may represent the most significant hazards for a construction project. A site investigation can investigate and pinpoint these potential hazards and significantly reduce risks. Inadequate site investigation can result in delays to the programme and necessitate a remedial plan to rectify contaminated soils and groundwater and/or re-construct building systems. Byrne Looby geologists, engineers, environmental scientists and technicians deliver value-added, risk-based, site-specific solutions. Our comprehensive range of field services can identify the nature and extent and risk of substances found in soil, sediment, surface water, groundwater and building systems. Our services span the entire lifecycle, including site investigation and feasibility studies, risk assessment, monitoring, remedy selection, remedial design, site reuse, and preparation of competitive tenders to third-party specifications as well as construction management.

Our clients range from individuals to major contractors and developers to constructing energy from waste (EfW) facilities and peaking plant power stations. We have experience working in challenging environments such as soft Ground, peat bogs, slopes with specialist rigs or scaffold platforms, overwater investigations in harbours, rivers and lakes, landfills, crane lifts and buildings basements and other below-ground structures.

We employ a combination of in-house and thirdparty resources to undertake site investigations using techniques to maximise the quality of the data obtained. These techniques include cable percussion boring, rotary open-hole, cored drilling, Geobor and resonance equipment with appropriate flushing mediums to maximise recovery, dynamic (windowless) sampling and probing, static cone penetration testing (piezocone, magcone, seismic cone, gamma cone) and mechanically and hand-excavated trial pits.

We prepare the Ground Investigation Report (GIR), the Geotechnical Design Report (GDR), and specific geoenvironmental interpretation and recommendations. We present exploratory hole and other test data following the current local quality standards (British, EU or the Middle East) and are Eurocode 7 compliant. The ground investigation data can be presented electronically in the latest AGS format for inclusion in BIM.

Tropical Fruit Warehouse, Dublin, Ireland

Wrentham Site Investigation, Suffolk, UK

PROJECT FOCUS: DEVELOPING THE CITY OF QIDDIYA, THE CAPITAL OF ENTERTAINMENT, SPORTS AND THE ARTS

QIDDIYA GEOTECHNICAL INVESTIGATION

OVERVIEW

Qiddiya is set to become the Kingdom’s capital of Entertainment, Sports and the Arts to meet and satisfy the recreational, social and cultural needs of current and future generations. Located 45km west of Riyadh, Qiddiya will comprise of a Resort Core, Motion Zone, City Centre, Eco Zone Golf Community, Aerodrome and Airfield Future Development and Green Buffer development zones.

Overlooking the Resort Core from its perch 200m above on the edge of the Tuwaiq escarpment, will be a City Centre mixed-use village dedicated to sports & the arts. Qiddiya’s City Centre development area covers approximately 530,000m2, allotted across 33 plots.

PRIMARY ROLE

ByrneLooby was appointed by the Qiddiya Investment Company, to provide geotechnical support for the proposed development in Qiddiya. Our role included identification and detailed requirements for test and investigations by plot, preparation of the required tender documents, review of technical & commercial submissions and provide any additional support. As the lead geotechnical Consultant, our scope included the provision of specifications, drawings, BOQs for pricing and monitoring works during construction, as well as GIS drawings and data.

INNOVATION / VALUE ADD

ByrneLooby utilised BIM modelling by integrating Holebase SI and Civil 3D along with Autodesk Infraworks. This aided with faster revisions of the site investigation layout to reflect the masterplan layout changes. Location: Qiddiya, Riyadh Capital Value: SAR 30bn Project Name: Qiddiya Geotechnical Investigation Country: KSA Client: Qiddiya Investment Company (QIC)

PROJECT FOCUS: WHERE THE WIND BLOWS - SOLID GROUND FOR WINDFARMS

BROCKAGHBOY WIND FARM

OVERVIEW

Brockaghboy Wind Farm is located in County L/Derry and consists of 19 Vesta 3MW V90 turbines and 8.6km of access tracks. ByrneLooby in Belfast acted as the civil, structural and geotechnical consultant on the project. We provided designs for crane hardstands and access tracks, including optimisation and value engineering of the client’s tender package along with SuDS & drainage design for this difficult, hilly site.

PRIMARY ROLE

We also provided solutions for culvert crossings and bridge structures and public road upgrade works for the turbine delivery route. Our structural team provided designs for the 19 wind turbine gravity bases. ByrneLooby undertook site inspections, sign offs and approvals of turbine base formation level, finished hardstand and access track surface. This project was promoted by the major Italian energy provider ERG. Location: Counnty Derry, Northernn Ireland, UK Capital Value: £65m Project Name: Brockaghboy Wind Farm Country: UK Client: Adman Civil Projects Ltd.

PROJECT FOCUS: A ‘FIRST CLASS’ APPROACH TO EXPANDING ONE OF THE BUSIEST AIRPORTS IN THE WORLD

HEATHROW AIRPORT EXPANSION

OUR ROLE

Our team was appointed to provide enviromental assessment, permitting support for the project as well as landfill remediation and design. The Heathrow Expansion Programme is a £14bn project to construct a third runway and new taxiways linking it to the rest of the airport complex, a new terminal building and satellite, additional stand areas, newairport gateways, carparks and other associatedinfrastructure. It will involve re-routing the M25, diversion of rivers and substantial earthworks to achieve.

SOLUTION

Our primary role was to provide advice on the remediation of three existing permitted landfill sites located along the line of the proposed new runway and to design and support the permit applications for four new landfills. The new runway is to be constructed on top of three pre-existing landfills posing complex remediation and foundational design issues. The existing leachate and landfill gas control systems needed to be replaced and a new capping system installed.

The four new landflls are being designed to EU/UK standards and need to take account of their close proximity to a working airfield with associated access restrictions. Our Waste team were subcontracted to Jacobs who were appointed as lead earthworks consultant for the project. Our role in this project was multi-disciplinary with our consultants providing a full range of services; earthworks design, site investigation support, hydrogeological risk assessments, stability risk assessments, air quality assessment, design of landfill gas, leachate and odour control systems, environmental monitoring, regulatory compliance and advice on landfill tax. Location: Heathrow Capital Value: £15bn Project Name: Heathrow Airport Expansion Country: UK Client: Jacobs Engineering