Geotechnical - Greestone Place, University of Lincoln

Purpose

Delta-Simons was appointed by Ward Cole on behalf of the University of Lincoln to complete a ground investigation as part of a Phase II geo-environmental assessment on a section of land situated within the historic area of Uphill Lincoln. However, due to the location of the site within a historic area of the city, considerable care and planning was needed in order to select, operate and move the appropriate machinery into position, therefore allowing the proposed works of drilling multiple 25 metre boreholes to begin.

Outline / Scope of Works

The site at Greestone Place offered a unique issue that needed to be overcome before work could commence. As the only accessibly route into the site was through a 1 metre wide gate within a grade-II listed wall, considerable planning was needed to ensure that neither the wall became damaged by the drilling equipment nor the logistical aspects presented a threat to the health & safety of both the public and the drilling team. Due to the incline of the public footpath running alongside the wall, it was not possible to lift the drilling rig into the courtyard with the assistance of a low loader crane. Further compounding the issue was the presence of a grade-1 listed building on the opposite side of the footpath that presented a limitation to the turning radius of the drilling rig.

Our in-house drilling team elected to use the Comacchio 205 and set about proceeding with the finalised plan. The public footpath was temporarily closed to allow time to safely move the rig into its initial position without endangering members of the public. The machine was set into its horizontal configuration with the drilling mast being shortened and the safety guards temporarily removed in order to reduce it's size to the lowest reasonable state, replacing the safety guards once this has been achieved. With these changes and using millimetre precision it was possible to slowly move the rig through the 1 metre wide opening in the wall before proceeding to rotate and move the rig though a section of building within the courtyard. Railway sleepers were used in order to bolster the floor height so that the machine could be moved safely with minimal variance in ground level.

Outcome / Client Benefits

Our drilling team was able to successfully move and position the required machinery in a timely and safe fashion allowing the client to receive the requested site data and by extension allow the project to move forward on schedule without hindrance. Due to the forward planning and continued respect for the historical significance of surrounding of the site, the grade-II listed wall remained intact along with the grade-I listed building parallel to the courtyard entrance.