Ground improvement for logistical centers, commercial structures and industrial sites can be performed as part of an integral solution, treating the complete construction site, but can also be limited to spot solutions, treating for example only the foundation locations. Which method to choose highly depends on the soil conditions and requirements for (differential) settlements.
For areas with soft compressible material, like clay and peat, the choice of treatment is often the integral treatment of the area using consolidation techniques like vertical drains and vacuum consolidation. After preloading, the treated areas will show a reduction in post construction and differential settlements, resulting in a longer lifespan of the pavements and preventing damage to services to be connected to the structures. In some cases when the compressible layers are superficial, a replacement method with compaction of the replaced material, or the pounding of large diameter columns is also used. This is all depending on the site-specific conditions and requirements.
In case of a site with granular material our compaction techniques like CDC (rapid impact compaction) or CRC (high energy impact compaction) are able to increase the bearing capacity or reduce liquefaction risks. The compaction can be performed on the site as a whole, but also on specific footing locations. Our surface compaction techniques are highly suitable for this kind of treatment with depths of influence that fall right in the load distribution zone of the footings. In case of deep liquefaction risks, additional methods like vibro compaction are available to densify the soil at greater depths.
For silty soils, that are in-between the above mentioned situations, element solutions like stone columns are available to increase the safety against liquefaction and/or increase the bearing capacity.
