Geotechnical Engineering
Ground investigation, foundation and retaining design, and soil testing across Christchurch and Canterbury. The ground assessed and understood before anything is built on it.
The ground decides what the building can do.
Most build problems start below the surface. A soft layer missed at design becomes a cracked slab, a failed consent, and rework you pay for twice. The council will ask what the ground is either way, because a geotechnical report is part of the building consent process, so the only real choice is when the question gets answered. Answered first, it costs a few weeks of programme. Answered after the concrete, it costs the footings. We investigate, then design against what the testing returned.
What a geotechnical report containsThe ground, top to bottom.
Geotechnical engineering is the reading of what lies under the surface, layer by layer, and of how much each layer can be asked to carry. The order the layers come in matters as much as what they are. The profile below is indicative, not a specific site.
What we investigate and design.
Four services, one accountable engineer, on one consent package. Each runs on the same ground investigation.
- 01Geotechnical Reports
Site investigation and reporting, written to be consented.
- 02Foundation Design
Foundations sized to the ground that is actually there.
- 03Retaining Wall Design
Retaining and slope stabilisation, designed and certified.
- 04Soil Testing
Soil classification and bearing capacity, measured on site.
Chartered. Accountable at consent.
Fifteen years assessing New Zealand ground, and the chartership behind every producer statement.
15
Years in New Zealand
Geotechnical and structural practice
500+
Jobs completed
Residential and commercial sites
IntPE(NZ)
APEC Engineer
International recognition few New Zealand firms hold
15m
Minimum cone test depth
Below ground level, with shallow testing to 3.0m
One engineer, from site visit to sign-off.
You work with the engineer who assessed your site, not a name you never meet. The chartered sign-off is the same one the larger firms give. What changes is the access, and who answers when you call. The structural work is done in the same office, so nothing about your job waits on an introduction between consultants.
Structural EngineeringStart with the ground.
Send through the plans and the site address. We will tell you which tests this ground actually needs, and which ones it does not.