Geotechnical investigation
Know what is beneath your site before you build
Project risk increases when ground conditions are unidentified
Unexpected rock discoveries, poor soil, uncontrolled fill, or groundwater can lead to redesigns, construction delays and higher costs. Once construction begins, the available solutions often become fewer and more expensive.
Geotesta removes speculation and replaces it with site-specific, validated data. Our engineers develop the investigation plan, deploy our own equipment, analyse the samples in our NATA-accredited laboratory, and provide your project team actionable recommendations based upon the results of the investigation.
How do we investigate?
Boreholes and sampling
Drill rig sampling reveals soil layers and collects representative material from depth for engineering assessment.
Rock coring
Core samples provide direct information about rock depth, condition and strength where foundations or excavations may encounter rock.
Test pits
Shallow excavations expose fill, soil profiles and buried materials for direct inspection and sampling.
DCP testing
Dynamic Cone Penetrometer testing measures shallow soil resistance and helps identify changes in stiffness or weaker ground.
LWD and FWD testing
Light Weight and Falling Weight Deflectometer testing assesses pavement and formation response where relevant to the project.
Laboratory testing
Collected samples can be tested in-house to establish physical, strength, moisture and compaction characteristics.
Proven Across a Diverse Range of Projects
Harbourside, Darling Harbour
Accredited geotechnical and earthworks assessment as a TfNSW Technically Assured Organisation for Mirvac's $2 billion Harbourside redevelopment at Darling Harbour.
Melbourne Metro
Construction-embedded geotechnical engineering across the Western Work Package, Domain Station and precast yard for Victoria's landmark Melbourne Metro.
Microsoft Data Centres, Melbourne
Program-wide geotechnical partner across Microsoft's hyperscale data centre developments in Victoria, from early investigation through to construction certification.
South Gippsland Shire Slope Remediation
Assessed and remediated up to nine roadside slope failures across South Gippsland — from investigation and drone survey through to supervising the remedial works.
Sydney Metro West, Sydney
Ground investigation and interpretive reporting along the geologically varied Sydney Metro West corridor, connecting Parramatta and the Sydney CBD.
UPSS Decommissioning and Validation, Mentone
When the EPA flagged an underground petroleum storage system at this Mentone service-station site, Geotesta investigated, decommissioned and removed the tanks, and validated the excavations — closing the EPA case and keeping the site operating.
West Gate Tunnel, Melbourne
Geotechnical and geological services across the planning, investigation and construction of the West Gate Tunnel, one of Victoria's largest transport projects.
Western Sydney Airport, Sydney
Precinct-wide ground investigation for Australia's newest international gateway, giving design teams reliable subsurface data across a greenfield site.
Over 20 years. More than 15,000 projects. Proven capability.
Frequently Asked Questions
Complete your site investigation as early as possible before final design. Knowing the ground conditions early gives your engineers more design options, and reduces the likelihood of costly design revisions during construction.
Timing depends on site accessibility, project size, depth of investigation, and the extent of testing required. However, Geotesta will define the scope of investigation and provide an estimated completion date before starting any field activity.
It can do, but we can minimise disruptions by coordinating with your project management team and taking into account the specific conditions at the site when planning access, equipment and testing locations.
Yes, we frequently assist consulting engineers, project managers, developers and contractors by providing both field capacity and laboratory testing capabilities along with clear data that facilitates informed decisions for their designs.
By utilising our own equipment and NATA-accredited laboratory we eliminate the need for subcontractors, maintain continuity between field and laboratory data collection, and enable your project to transition from investigation to advisory services more quickly.
Yes, we can evaluate suitable reports prepared previously for analysis or engineering advice purposes, although we may also suggest additional field activities be performed when existing records are insufficient or inappropriate for intended development.