Walsh offers Geotechnical engineering and Geoenvironmental engineering consultancy focused on sustainable, buildable solutions for our clients from project inception through to completion.
Our Geotechnical engineering team has a combined experience of over 35 years, delivering complex geotechnical and contaminated land developments in London and around the UK. Geotechnical services can be commissioned as standalone studies or as a seamless extension to the wider civil engineering and structural engineering services offered by Walsh.
The real power of our integrated engineering service is in our exceptional team which has maintained a collegiate feel even as it has continued to grow. With over 130 staff based in a single office, communication and knowledge transfer between engineering disciplines is streamlined and efficient. For our clients, the direct collaboration between Civil, Structural, and Geotechnical mitigates risk, delivers programme surety and results in superior design solutions.
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Adverse ground conditions can have a significant impact on construction programme, cost and viability. Understanding risk in the ground is critical to a successful project outcome, whether that is dealing with historical contamination and quantifying remediation costs, analysing the impact of structures on tunnels and assets, to optimising foundations and construction sequences to take advantage of favourable ground conditions.
Reducing environmental impact
Foundation optimisation
Foundation reuse
Variable / unexpected ground conditions
Compressible soils / consolidation
Differential settlement
Contamination
Buried structures
Buried utilities
Tunnels
Railways
Sewers
Party Wall Structures
Human health risk
Waste disposal cost
Foundation re-use
Surface water flow & flooding
Water & heave pressures
Aquifers & underground rivers
Our in-house geotechnical and geoenvironmental engineering team seeks to de-risk developments in the ground from the earliest opportunity, avoiding unforeseen ground conditions, taking advantage of opportunities offered by the ground and avoiding or utilising obstructions. This allows us to present the best design options and informs budget models from a technical and environmental perspective.
Walsh provides support to our clients from the pre-purchase acquisition of sites (RIBA Stage 0) and planning requirements through to completion and sign off of contamination and ground related planning conditions (RIBA Stage 6).
Our engineers run state of the art analysis software including PDISP, PLAXIS 3D, WALLAP, Oasys SLOPE, QGIS, OpenGround Cloud and bespoke in-house tools. This means that we can optimise foundation designs with a strong focus on sustainability, efficiency, and buildability.
Walsh’s Geotechnical specialists have a wealth of experience in ground conditions in the London area and throughout the UK, and are able to provide pragmatic ground investigation advice using this local knowledge. Site investigation contractors are carefully selected for each job and Walsh engineers visit site regularly to understand the ground, ensure the required information is being obtained and stay involved in the investigation decision making process.
The Walsh Geotechnical team are embedded within the wider structural and civils teams. Our investigation, analysis and reporting benefit from direct collaboration with these teams to ensure that we meet project requirements, and our analysis and investigations are tailored to the key project needs.
Phase 1 Desk Studies suitable for planning applications
Basement Impact Assessments
Geotechnical feasibility assessments
Heave / hydrological impact assessments
Groundwater contamination risk assessments
Remediation statements and options appraisal
Human health risk assessments
Foundation works risk assessments
Infrastructure approvals including Network Rail, LUL, Thames Water, DLR, National Grid & UKPN
Monitoring specifications and trigger limits
Verification & reportings
Site investigation scoping, contract management and interpretive reporting
Ground movement analysis
Foundation reuse assessment
Slope stability analysis
Remediation strategies
Remediation options appraisals
Geotechnical design reports
Pile design
Raft analysis
Piled raft analysis
Basement and embedded retaining wall design
Temporary works design
Earthworks specification
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Sustainability is in our DNA and we have our own ambitious goals to achieve Net Zero as a business and with our designs. With innovative in-house monitoring tools, Walsh clients have seen on average reductions of 10-20% total embodied carbon, with some of our flagship work achieving 60-70% reductions compared with baseline figures.
