Earthworks Design & Management

24th November 2022

Earthworks come in various scales and complexities. Often, earthworks may be required for localised filling of a site (i.e. to increase site levels), for landscaping purposes, providing fill to structures or as part of extensive site operations.

The process extends to placing suitable materials to support structures such as a house, office, highway, or even to form a safe embankment, in a way that meets design requirements.

The earthworks process and design requirements can seem daunting. Northpoint provide specialist technical services (regardless of scale/complexity).

Northpoint’s geotechnical engineering team initially characterise materials (site-won or otherwise) to determine how soils/rocks can be safely placed and be fit-for-purpose depending on their proposed use.

As part of preparing an earthworks design and thereafter the management process, Northpoint will consider a wealth of available technical documents, such as Standards for Highways, the Design Manual for Roads and Bridges and ICE Guidance documents.

The process of adequate characterisation is vital to delivering an appropriate design. This process determines the properties/strengths of materials, whether they are suitable for the intended end-use, and what needs to be done onsite to ensure placed materials meet the design specification.

If you would like further information, please contact the team.