Valentina, GB Card & Partners’ Principal Geo-Environmental Engineer, has been working hard recently at our Faversham Lakes site in Kent.

As part of our geotechnical strategy for the site, an area historically used for the deposition of silt washings from quarry activities requires surcharging to accelerate the consolidation process. GB Card & Partners have therefore calculated the required surcharge and designed a system of band drains to meet the client’s requirements. Once complete, the area will be suitable for the adoption of strip or raft foundations, offering value and sustainability compared to a piled solution. The ground improvement has also reduced the requirements relating to road pavement design and minimised potential differential settlements between the dwellings and surrounding infrastructure.

GB Card & Partners have also designed the working platform to allow the installation of the band drains, processing site data, including shear vane testing on subbase materials, to provide real-time updates on the required thickness of the platform as the works progress.

Valentina has an extensive knowledge of the site at Faversham Lakes, and has built a solid relationship with the client, having been involved in the project for well over a year.