Archives: News

The construction of solar farms is on the increase and they are now the most popular method in the UK for harnessing the sun’s rays to create energy.

Fields of photovoltaic panels are transforming the landscape and how we generate power, with the added bonus of contributing to a greener, more sustainable environment. Near future year-on-year growth in the industry is anticipated to be in the region of 25%.

In the last two years, Harrison Group has successfully completed ground investigations on more than 25 proposed solar farms across the UK, working closely with a range of domestic and international clients. Site locations range from Somerset, Essex, Sheffield, Anglesey and north to the Scottish Borders.

Works have been undertaken to provide information for photovoltaic array foundations as well as associated infrastructure, including substations, transformer and inverter stations, construction compounds, and access roads.

Investigative works were tailored to the development proposals, history and ground conditions for each site.

Preliminary works included risk assessments, unexploded ordnance surveys, underground service tracing and coal mining authority permits where appropriate.

In-situ testing was comprehensive as was the physical and chemical soils testing.

Driven steel piles are generally the preferred foundation solution for photovoltaic arrays. However, accurate assessment of drivability and load capacities must be undertaken to determine their suitability on a site-specific basis.

For many of the sites, sacrificial test piles were installed to a range of depths. This allowed the completion of lateral and axial load testing, enabling the measurement of deformation and elastic rebound responses to the applied loads.

Full details of the scope of work and outcomes can be found here.

We are very pleased to announce the successful renewal of our United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) accreditation for our in-house soils and materials testing laboratory which will be in place for the next four years.

General Manager of Harrison Testing Services, Henry Chapman said “Our laboratory is accredited to ISO/IEC 17025:2017 General requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories and in addition to annual visits by UKAS to our laboratory, a two-day audit is carried out by two assessors every four years to ensure we continue to maintain the exacting standards of testing required by UKAS. Additional accredited tests have been added to our schedule since the last UKAS renewal four years ago and we are looking at adding more in the future. The laboratory manual has also been re-drafted to meet the requirements of the updated BS EN ISO/IEC 17025:2017.”

Steve Williams, Managing Director of Harrison Group said “I would like to thank Henry, the Laboratory Manager Matthew Willson and his team for their efforts. Our soils testing laboratory makes an important contribution to the comprehensive services offered to our clients and we want to ensure that Harrison Group continues to meet the highest standards required by UKAS as we look to the future.”

For more information go to https://harrisongroupuk.com/soil-testing or contact Henry Chapman on 01603 613111.

The launch of the third edition of the UK Specification for Ground Investigation – also known as ‘Yellow Book’ – has been announced.

This latest edition of Yellow Book has been revised by an industry working-group led by the Association of Geotechnical & Geoenvironmental Specialists – AGS, and provides best practice guidance for designing and executing good-quality ground investigations that will allow clients and land developers to manage the risks and help to reduce project time and costs.

Ground investigations are an essential part of the design process for any structure and land condition assessment. They are used to validate the ground model, assess ground risk, obtain geotechnical data for design and geoenvironmental data for the assessment of the risk to human health. Yellow Book will help to protect construction professionals and clients, from unexpected ground conditions during construction. Updates in this edition take account of changes to health, safety and environmental legislation, numerous new British Standards and industry guidance.

The UK Specification for Ground Investigation is essential for all ground practitioners involved in ground investigation, including geotechnical engineers, engineering geologists, environmental scientists, instrumentation and monitoring specialists, hydrogeologists and geophysicists, as well as specialists in other disciplines involved in specific investigations.

If you want to know more about the new Yellow Book then you can join Julian Lovell, Mathew Baldwin and Stewart Jarvis, three of the main authors of the third edition, for a free webinar on 23rd June 2022 at 11am. The trio will set the context for the revision, explain the changes made and reasons behind them and provide details of how the new Specification document should be used and the major areas of change required by industry to conform to current good practice.

To register for the webinar, or to watch the replay (post-event) click HERE. This will link you through to the AGS website.

King’s College Chapel is a Grade 1 listed collegiate chapel of the University of Cambridge, built in the 16th century and located in the heart of the historic city centre. Currently, repair work to the roof is programmed to be undertaken; and this is to be done whilst allowing the chapel to continue functioning as an active place of worship, as a home to King’s College Choir and to also accommodate the steady daily stream of visitors to the building.

Harrison Group was contracted to carry out a ground investigation to assess the load bearing characteristics of the ground that would support an extensive scaffold structure, to ensure that it would be safe and secure.

In addition to this, an investigation was also carried out to establish groundwater levels underlying the chapel itself, providing information relating to planned conservation activities.

Read more about how Harrison Group adapted their work to allow the chapel to continue functioning as an active place of worship, as a home to King’s College Choir and to also accommodate the steady daily stream of visitors to the building.

Harrison Group has been involved in an ambitious project to restore Norwich Castle Keep back to the original layout that existed in the 12th century.

To read more about the scope of work, challenges faced due to restricted access and the potential presence of archaeological artefacts Click Here.

Taking on the challenge of mobilising to a remote Norfolk beach location to carry out investigation for major offshore windfarm, Harrison Group used a landing craft to transport all the plant and equipment to site by sea directly from the Port of Lowestoft.

To find out more Click Here

After a year of absence due to coronavirus restrictions in 2020, the Norfolk Constructing Excellence Club (NCEC) Awards ceremony went ahead this year on 20th April as an online event.

Constructing Excellence of which the NCEC is a member club, through networking events, aims to bring together industry professionals from member organisations in a relaxed, forward-thinking environment, to share ideas and best practice with opportunities for continued professional development.

The NCEC has over 70 members, ranging from SMEs to national companies, and representing all parts of the construction supply chain including clients, consultants, designers, engineers, contractors and suppliers.

Members are encouraged to take part in the yearly awards event, where advancement and success across a range of categories are recognised, reflecting current best-working practices. Sustainability, Value, Collaboration and Health & Safety are just some of the categories under the spotlight.

Harrison Group is very pleased to have been awarded 1st place in the Innovation category, for its specific contribution to progressing the quality of 3D ground modelling of borehole information. This work has resulted in much-improved visualisation and understanding of subsurface geotechnical and geoenvironmental trends, leading to high quality and versatile 3D ground model production, which can reduce risk and lead to potential project cost-savings. In addition to this, Harrison Group was also awarded 3rd place overall.

We are very pleased to announce that our in-house soils and materials testing laboratory UKAS accreditation has been renewed for another four years, following a successful audit.

 

General Manager of Harrison Testing Services, Henry Chapman said “In addition to annual visits by UKAS to our laboratory, the two-day audit is carried out by two assessors every four years to ensure we continue to maintain the exacting standards of testing required by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service [UKAS].

 

“Our laboratory is accredited to ISO/IEC 17025:2017 General requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories. The accreditation also includes the calculation of the Uniformity Coefficient of granular material, using results from grading tests, commonly used in highways projects.

 

“Additional accredited tests have be added achieved since the last UKAS renewal four years ago. The laboratory manual has also been re-drafted to meet the requirements of the updated BS EN ISO/IEC 17025:2017 General requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories.”

 

Henry also wanted to give the laboratory staff a mention.

“I would like to acknowledge the work put in by our laboratory team, Matthew Wilson (Laboratory Manager), Graham Breame, Tony Pye and Conor Halifax who’s efforts helped to ensure this successful outcome. Well done to all.”

Steve Williams, Managing Director of Harrison Group also said.

“I would like to thank Henry and the team for their efforts. Over many years the soils testing laboratory has allowed us to offer clients comprehensive in-house ground investigation and testing services and it is important to us that we continue to meet the highest standards required by UKAS as we look to the future.”

For more information go to https://harrisongroupuk.com/soil-testing or contact Henry Chapman on 01603 613111.

 

With increasing usage of digital data in recent times, particularly for interpretation and analysis of ground investigations, there have been associated changes to the methods by which we work. Despite the advantages of this, difficulties can arise when data is not available in a standard format. This can be due to the use of differing software packages and the related compatibility issues that arise when transference of data is required.

Taking this into account, the British Geological Survey (BGS) has launched a major initiative, called the ‘Big Borehole Dig’, to convert around one million existing borehole records currently held on its database. The aim is to translate the information into the Association of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Specialists (AGS) digital data format, the accepted industry standard.

There will be benefits arising from this process. Once standardised, it will be possible to pull the information directly into current site investigation digital software, improve conceptual ground models and provide an additional resource for academic purposes. This will, amongst other things, give savings of time and costs in construction projects, by having access to an enhanced and transferable data set.

With over 40 years in the industry, Harrison Group is well placed to appreciate the value if this initiative. Head of the Data Management department, Conrad Stewart and his team, are actively involved in helping to process the BGS data. While contributing to the bigger picture, Harrison Group is already finding the results very useful for its own purposes, as it has been integrating the BGS borehole information with data from current site investigations.

The scale of the Big Borehole Dig is vast. The more contributors there are to this project, the sooner it will be completed to the benefit of all. For more details and how to get involved, go to the BGS website: https://www.bgs.ac.uk/news/join-our-big-borehole-dig/

If you would like to follow the progress made by Conrad and his team, he gives updates via his LinkedIn account: https://www.linkedin.com/in/conradharrystewart

Also, if you would like to know more about how our advanced data management systems improve the quality of geotechnical and geoenvironmental analysis, please click on this link:- https://harrisongroupuk.com/data-management/

Harrison Group were contracted by Campbell Reith Hill LLP to undertake a site investigation in the eastern car park of the ExCeL Exhibition Centre, London, in order to provide information on ground conditions to inform foundation design, contamination assessments, and any remedial measurements required for the construction of a two-storey, 40,000m2 extension.

 

At the time of the investigation, COVID-19 restrictions were in place and the ExCeL Centre was host to a Nightingale Hospital. As a result of this the site was set up by Harrison Group and ran to facilitate social-distancing, with measures such as additional welfare facilities put in place.

 

Read full case study here.