Over the summer GB Card & Partners have become part of the project team delivering sustainable green energy to meet UK Government commitment to achieving fully decarbonised electricity by 2035. The team at GB Card have investigated, analysed and designed the foundations for a wind farm in the south-west in a former sand quarry.

The individual 100m tall towers supporting the turbines are located in areas of the former sand quarry comprising disturbed or infilled ground overlying natural deposits. Using numerical modelling techniques to examine forces and bending moments generated in the towers , GB Card were able to demonstrate that mass gravity foundations are viable thus avoiding the use of conventional piled foundation techniques in such variable ground.

The mass gravity foundations comprise 19.50-meter diameter circular reinforced concrete plinth, 1.10m to 2.70m thick, which is entirely embedded below ground level.

Anna Smaje, GB Card’s geotechnical engineer for the project, describes her involvement “It’s been a great project to be a part of, and what’s more my verification inspections during construction coincided with some rare summer sunshine creating some fabulous pictures of the tower foundations under construction”.

To learn more of GB Card’s involvement in supporting green energy infrastructure projects please contact Dr Geoff Card on 01392 790020.

We’ve recently had the pleasure of Maisie joining the GB Card Team in the Exeter office for a student placement. Maisie is currently studying Civil and Environmental Engineering at Cardiff University.

Maisie’s been a great addition getting stuck straight in with a number of roles for various projects. She has been introduced to using a wide variety of software, including gINT, AutoCAD, Oasys, PDisp, GSA, and SLOPE, and has run her own analysis independently. Alongside this, she has studied a variety of reports and British Standards, undertaken data analysis and gained an understanding of some of our large projects.

As things remain busier than ever it’s been great to have an extra person in the office to assist and we wish Maisie all the best on her next year at university.

As GB Card & Partners continues to go from straight to strength, we’re pleased to announce the arrival of our latest addition to the team, Anna Smaje.

Anna is GB Card’s new Engineer with 3 years’ experience in the Geo-Environmental industry focusing on a lot of projects within the southeast, mainly in Portsmouth including various Geo-Environmental desk studies and Phase 2 reports.

In Anna’s spare time she enjoys hiking and has recently summited Ben Nevis with the aim of completing all the UK peaks in 2023.

To discuss any projects with Anna please email asmaje@gbcardandpartners.com.