OUR LARGEST DEEP SOIL MIXING PROJECT FOR NEW BUILD HOUSING REVEALED IN DUNDEE

Work is well underway on our largest deep soil mixing project that we have ever undertaken to support residential development in the UK.

As part of our involvement in the development of land at Hillside Halls, Yarrow Terrace in Dundee, our unique deep soil mixing is providing a solution for challenging ground conditions of the former quarry that needs remediation to significant depths of around 17 metres.

Andrew Warneford, Projects Director explains: “The former quarry at Hillside Halls was backfilled in the 1950’s in an uncontrolled manner. This presented a significant issue for the proposed development because these soils were likely to settle significantly when a load was imposed by the new housing, roads and sewers.

“Naturally, excess settlement below the proposed structures is unacceptable to the client, their engineer and statutory bodies. Our designed solution to improve the formation by means of deep soil mixing delivers an increased soil bearing pressure and eliminates the potential for excess settlement.”

Following the improvement of the formation soils with our deep soil mixing technique, we are using our proven soil stabilisation and earthworks solution to upfill the site to design levels, and in turn we will provide a structural earthworks platform which permits the use of a nominal depth, standard stiffened foundation. This integrated approach to ground improvement and earthworks makes us unique in the industry.

Our deep soil mixing technique is fully tested, and it will deliver uniform ground improvement and a sound design platform. It’s an approach that could benefit many more key future development projects in Scotland because it is a cost-effective alternative to traditional piling techniques.

Having access to the only specialist deep soil mixing equipment in Scotland is a real bonus for our clients as Kevin Mackenzie, Commercial Director explains: “The specialist apparatus that we operate means that we have the capability to deliver cost-effective solutions for the difficult soil conditions that we often come across in Scotland.

“We are the only company in Scotland which has the resources and expertise to provide specialist deep soil mixing solutions. Indeed we are one of only a couple of companies with this expertise in the UK. This project aligns with our business ethos of being the enabling contractor of choice for difficult and challenging sites.

“We have deployed our deep soil mixing techniques for a number of our clients, but this is one of our largest projects to date. In the coming year we intend to actively pursue other applications for the use of this specialist technique, specifically on projects with poor formation at depth and were strict settlement criteria needs to be met.

“Our deep soil mixing technique delivers great results for a range of our clients, so we’re really delighted to have been able to use our expertise in this area and generate such a positive impact for this high-profile project to deliver new Halls of Residence in Dundee that will also meet the requirements needed to achieve a Premier Guarantee structural warranty.”