Case Study: Confined Site Investigation.
Location: Glasgow.
Download: confined-site-investigation.pdf

Brief

IKM carried out a soil contamination assessment on a site occupied by a three storey building, in the Tradeston area of Glasgow. The building was to be retained for refurbishment as flats and so the investigation had to be carried out within the confines of the building.

Solution

The project involved the drilling of boreholes and the installation of monitoring wells through the ground floor of the building.  These allowed the sampling of soils, groundwater and soil gas below the footprint of the building.

Planning of the investigation gave consideration to the constraints faced with drilling indoors.  A suitable drilling rig was sourced and access and egress assessed before works commenced.  Consideration was also given to the existing fabric of the building, services and ventilation during the operation of the rig.

A period of soil, groundwater and soil gas sampling was undertaken and the results used to provide a detailed quantitative risk assessment of the site to address the requirements of the regulators and planning conditions.

Outcome

By providing this bespoke solution to investigate below the footprint of an existing building, IKM were able to: 

  • Collect representative samples without major disruption to the existing building. 
  • Identify contaminants which could possibly put constraints on the development. 
  • Provide a detailed assessment of conditions with respect to its proposed use. 
  • Provide specific remedial recommendations such as vapour membranes, soil capping and groundwater extraction at an early stage of design. 
  • Address planning conditions and so allow the development programme to progress quickly.