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Characteristics

Therefore, a geotechnical site study is defined as the set of information regarding the existing ground characteristics and the type of project planned. This facilitates the subsequent analysis and sizing of its foundations. Thus, the geotechnical report must be adapted to the building, as studying a single-family home on soft ground is not the same as studying a large-scale skyscraper on rock soil. This achieves the goal of justifying the ground’s behavior in relation to a specific project. Here we must discuss two very important concepts: quantified information, and the relationship with the environment and the building planned for construction.

• The conclusions of a geological-geotechnical study (definition of the calculation parameters to be used in the dimensioning of structural elements in contact with the ground, as well as predictions of the ground’s behavior under the new conditions, definition of stability of cuttings and embankments, stability of the slopes themselves, foundation recommendations, recommendations for the execution of the works, etc.).
• Graphic and written documentation for defining ground conditions (plans, profiles, descriptive report).
• The data collected during the investigation (records of boreholes and trial pits, geophysics, laboratory tests, geomechanical surveys, geological maps, sketches, etc.).

Required Information

The geological report must provide everything necessary for the building’s foundation, the activities required for its construction, and the definition of element demands. That is, when requesting a report on the geotechnical site study, we must request the following information:

• Planned level of the ground floor slab and number of basement floors.
• Number of floors to be built. Variations in height within the building’s footprint.
• Sections of the building itself and the site development.
• Tacheometric plan of the plot. Boundaries of the land involved in the future work.
• Exact location of the building within the plot, including the boundaries of its basements.
• Existing services and underground networks within the plot (pipelines, tanks, transformer stations, etc.).
• Factors to consider in the geotechnical design (rivers, slopes, the underground infrastructures themselves, cliffs, etc.).

Regulations

Geotechnical studies are mandatory for any type of building, following the current regulations imposed by Royal Decree 314/2006, of March 17, which approves the Technical Building Code (CTE). This develops the regulations of the Building Planning Law (LOE), establishing in its basic document (DB-SE-C) the issues concerning geotechnical studies and the responsibilities of the different parties involved in the building process.