The New Zealand Building Code is a set of performance standards that all buildings must meet. It includes requirements for structural strength, durability, and safety. A geotechnical site investigation is often required to ensure compliance with the Building Code, particularly in areas with high seismic hazard.
In summary, a geotechnical site field investigation is essential for ensuring the safety, compliance, and cost-effectiveness of construction projects in New Zealand. The investigation process is generally guided by several codes and standards, depending on the specific project requirements.
Soil Eng provides comprehensive and efficient services across the full breadth of geotechnical engineering, including investigation, analysis, design, and reporting.
A geotechnical site investigation gathers physical data about a site’s soil, rock and groundwater, through walkovers, sampling, hand augers, drilled boreholes and in-situ testing, to characterise ground conditions for design and consent.
It confirms actual ground conditions rather than assumptions, identifies hazards early, and lets engineers design efficient, safe foundations. Thorough investigation up front typically reduces construction cost and risk later.
Fieldwork may include a site walkover, test pits or hand augers, supervised borehole drilling, sampling, and in-situ tests such as CPTs or Scala penetrometer testing, with samples sent for laboratory analysis where needed.
On-site work for a typical residential or small commercial site is often completed in a day, with the report following within one to three weeks depending on testing and access.
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