This course is suitable for civil and structural engineers who undertake routine geotechnical design or specify and utilise geotechnical data in their designs.
This one-day course is about considering the problems we most frequently face - foundations, retaining walls, excavations, earthworks and groundwater - identifies the key engineering questions and develops methodologies to ensure we get the right information, make the right design decisions and produce effective and efficient engineering solutions. It doesn't teach design, but it will ensure you avoid the most common mistakes and pitfalls associated with ground engineering.
The greatest technical and financial risk to UK construction projects usually lies in the ground, with unforeseen ground conditions, limited data and poor design assumptions key contributors to time and cost overruns.
Taking a pragmatic and practical approach supported by the lessons learnt from case studies this course answers the questions most pertinent to the non-geotechnical specialist:
- What are the most common causes of error, dispute and delay in geotechnical design?
- How to ensure you get the design data you need.
- What the site investigation data tells us?
- What the site investigation data does NOT tell us?
- When to use a geotechnical specialist.
This course has been carefully developed to provide clarity and confidence to civil and structural engineers on their geotechnical decision making. It gives clear guidance on getting good geotechnical data appropriate to your design, understanding the balance between risk, cost and certainty and how to avoid the most common causes of time and cost overruns on your projects.
The tutor is a chartered civil engineer with a leading consulting practice. He has extensive experience across geotechnics and has worked on UK and international projects for a wide range of clients. He has wide-ranging knowledge and practical experience of the most common pitfalls associated with geotechnical design together with a deep appreciation of what is needed to get it right.