Environmental Works, Ground Freezing, Engineering
Grupo Terratest https://www.terratest.com/
The New Promenada Mall extension with its unique architecture, will redefine the urban landscape of the city of Bucharest. Project developer NEPI ROCKCASTLE and constructor BTD CONSTRUCT entrusted TERRATEST GEOTEHNIC unique experience and skilled workforce to build what will be the deepest underground parking garage in Rumania. We look forward to a safe and rewarding project in teamwork with all the stakeholders.
We are in the final phase of the containment and emptying works for the new Hospital Vithas Barcelona in Esplugues de Llobregat. The project was designed to house an enclosure with 5 basement levels and a maximum excavation elevation of 17.67m. The perimeter containment formed by diaphragm walls of 60 and 80 cm thick, ground anchors and metallic bracing will enable, along with other additional structures, access to the basements of the building.
New construction in urban areas presents unique challenges and special foundation works require a specific approach, special design to minimize impact on communities and proper attention to nearby buildings and deep excavation. At Terratest Geotehnic we have developed a unique experience in urban construction, as we continue to be a part of the city’s development. Watch us work in the heart of the city.
Terratest, as an AETESS company, will be present at the next AECCTI-AETESS conference (February 1, 10:00 am - 1:15 pm), where our Technical Development Dtor. Eduardo Manzano Arroyo will tell us how the execution control is materialized in soil improvement with Geopier® techniques.
Terratest Geotehnic had the opportunity to contribute once again to the urban regeneration of the City of Iasi was provided through the Project UBC Campus, the largest mixed-use project in Moldova area and one of the largest in Romania. The foundation works consisted in 80 cm thick diaphragm wall, 25 m deep. Huge challenge, great teamwork, well-chosen equipment, excellent logistic coordination, performing in the heart of the city, considering the proximity of old buildings, underground conditions and general excavation depth. The project was delivered on time, within budget, with no work accidents applying Terratest´s high Standards of Quality and Health & Safety. We recognize the commitment of our site crew in this important project, and we celebrate the great accomplishment and excellent performance.
RODIO is proud to have been a part of the extensive renovation works at the BOMMERSTEIN TUNNEL, an integral part of the L890 railway which links the Zurich area and the Grisons as well as Austria and carries 180 passenger and freight trains every day. Our teams were involved in building the protection walls, executed between October 2020 – April 2021. Today, the 28-million-euro project continues in full swing, due to be completed by the end of 2023: "And should last for the next 100 years."
As a consequence of two landslides of large proportions that took place in Cumpăna, Constanța County, families were evacuated and the stability of the left bank of the Danube - Black Sea Canal was severely affected. Considering the strategic importance of the Black Sea Danube Canal as well as the situation of the families evacuated, the consolidation of the affected shore was carried out as a matter of urgency. Phase 1 of the works consisted in the installation of a discontinuous retaining wall consisting of 47 raft foundations of 6 x 6 x1 .5 [m] based on 282 drilled piles realized with full casing technology of 1080 mm and a maximum depth of 22 m. Another key component of the retaining system was the installation of buttresses made of three secant piles, one non reinforced and two reinforced The project was delivered on time, within budget, with no work accidents applying Terratest´s high Standards of Quality and Health & Safety (GoalZero). We recognize the performance and dedication of our team in this challenging project for doing such an excellent job.
In Belgium, the Terratest France teams are continuing the execution of the deep foundations of the unique future site of the CHwapi Hospital Center of Picardy Wallonia. More than 700 piles of different diameters will be executed for this large-scale project.
TERRATEST has carried out more than 200 columns of rammed aggregates piers of Ø500 mm using GEOPIER's IMPACT® system as ground improvement in the expansion works of the Cadiz Yacht Club. This system, introduced by TERRATEST in Spain since 2018, is characterized by offering a greater bearing capacity than conventional stones columns, due to its special execution system by displacement of the soil, vibration and compaction of the gravel, high energy, high frequency and low impact amplitude, which results in columns of greater stiffness and deformation modules, especially in silty-sand soils from hydraulic fill.
One more year, at Terratest we are celebrating our Safety Day, through which we want to demonstrate the company's commitment to the well-being of employees, and recognize everyone's efforts in a particularly difficult year due to the Covid pandemic. A safety stand down will be conducted at all sites to give an awareness talk to workers, and their participation will be promoted through different activities, reinforcing our safety culture, and remarking that the most important thing is to do the job well without putting any colleague at risk, because safety begins with me.
In Madrid, within the Mahou-Calderón Area, which has a surface area of approximately 200,000m2, TERRATEST has been awarded three contracts for the retaining walls and excavation of plots RC4, RC7 and RC8:
- Plot RC4 whose developer is Vivenio Promoción S.L. will house a total of 408 free collective dwellings, social areas, parking, swimming pools, storage rooms and commercial premises.
- Plot RC7, whose developer is Rivus Residential Development S.L., will have 223 free dwellings, commercial premises, social areas, storage rooms and parking spaces.
- Plot RC8, whose developer is Rivus Residential Development Manzanares S.L., will house a total of 160 free dwellings, commercial premises, social areas, storage rooms and parking spaces. Both projects are being managed by Gestilar.
The works contracted by TERRATEST are part of the retaining walls and excavation licence received by each of the developers and involve preliminary earthworks, the construction of a diaphragm wall, top beam, exterior walls, anchoring and excavation up to the foundation level.
The execution term of the projects is between four and five months and the works are expected to be completed by the end of the second quarter of the year.
TERRATEST will participate in the 7th GSP Thematic Session (webinar), next May 5th (17:30 - Lisbon) with the presentation of Diaphragm Wall and Soil Improvement Solutions, using Hydrofraise and Geopier technologies. Technologies that TERRATEST masters and uses for some years in the different geographies where it operates, making them also available to customers in Portugal. We invite all those interested in state-of-the-art technologies in the field of special foundations to attend this webinar with the presentation by Eng. Antonio Levita Gonçalves and Eng. Javier Moreno Sánchez.
LinkTERRATEST Senegal is carrying out the foundations of three new bridges located in Marsassoum, Diouloulou and Baïla, which are part of the second phase of the development plan for the Southern Region of Senegal. The Marssassoum bridge, with a length of 496 ml, consists of 39 piles of 1,200 mm diameter, at an average depth of 32 meters, drilled with permanent casing. This includes the placement of the caisson and the concreting of the capitals of the Unibridge girder supports. The bridge foundation work is 85% complete.
TERRATEST, has successfully completed the acquisition of the North American company ASAP GROUP, headquartered in Miramar (Florida). With this incorporation, the TERRATEST group strengthens its position in this market, which it considers strategic, and in which it is already present in 12 states with Geostructures. ASAP GROUP, a leader in earth retention and sheet piling technologies, will now be able to complete its portfolio of geotechnical solutions with the incorporation of all the TERRATEST group's technologies. The current management team, headed up by its founder and CEO Simon den Tuinder, will remain at the helm of the company.
Terratest celebrates World Water Day by renewing its commitment to protect this essential resource and continue the support for the sustainable development of water infrastructures worldwide. We especially highlight sea outfall projects executed by Terratest Tunneling for the development of new desalination plants, sewers, or water intakes, providing access to clean water to more people every day, being present in Africa, America, Europe and Middle East.
TERRATEST is driving wick drains to accelerate the consolidation process by preloading in Zorrotzaurre (Deusto-Bilbao) for the RELLENO ZORROTZAURRE joint venture (ACCIONA CONSTRUCCIÓN and ALTUNA Y URÍA). The works consist of driving more than 300,000 ml of wick drains, up to 28 m deep, in order to accelerate the dissipation of interstitial pressures and the consolidation of all the loose and compressible soils (clayey mud). The driving is carried out with a Brunello Rig VD-28 tool, mounted on a CAT 365C carrier, without vibration and with very little noise, perfectly adapted to urban environments.
In February-2021, TERRATEST, through its subsidiary IFCE Cimentaciones Ecuador, successfully completed soil improvement works in Pacoa, Santa Elena province. The works consisted of the driving of wick drains to accelerate settlement by consolidation of the compressible cohesive strata, and the execution of dynamic compaction to mitigate the liquefaction potential of the sandy strata. For the latter technique, a circular weight of 2 metres in diameter and weighing 23 tonnes was dropped from a height of 21 metres.
Terratest has achieved the AENOR certificate for Occupational Health and Safety according to the ISO45001 Standard. With the achievement of this certificate, the company demonstrates its commitmenttothesafety of its employees, and advances in the achievement of a strong preventiveculture, which involves all members of the organization. The certificate award ceremony was presided over by Borja Sáinz de Baranda, General Manager of Terratest S.A., and was attended by Gonzalo Piédrola, Director of AENOR for the Central Region and Europe, and Alberto Unzueta, Health and Safety Manager of Terratest.
TERRATEST, hired by Orreaga Estructuras y Obras, has designed and executed a sheet pile retaining wall. Given the need of Astilleros Balenciaga, owner of the project, to expand its facilities in a fluvial and environmentally sensitive area, it was decided to build a sheet pile wall as a fast, clean and economically advantageous solution. The sheet piles were driven by means of a vibrator hanging from a crane, in order to be able to access the driving line located in the riverbed from the working platform. In addition, a guide structure, designed by TERRATEST, was used to ensure the alignment of the retaining wall.
The excavation of the diaphragm wall works carried out by Terratest France as part of lot 1 of line 16 of the Grand Paris Express metro has been completed. In images, works 103P and 3304P. Both structures will be used as circular ventilation shafts and emergency exits in the exploitation phase of the Parisian metro line. Thanks to all those who keep making this project a success!.
Terratest Central Africa has just concluded one of its most important projects in the country, the foundation by means of piles for the flour factory facility and 4 storage silos of Grands Moulins du Congo in Pointe Noire. The project consists of 356 boredpiles, 600 mm in diameter at a depth of 17 meters. 110 PIT tests were carried out, with 100% of them giving a satisfactory result. Terratest Central Africa continues to contribute to the industrial and economic development of the country.
TERRATEST, through Equipos y Terratest, its subsidiary in Colombia, after more than four months since its beginning, is successfully progressing in the execution of the foundation by means of bored piles and continuous sfligh taugerpiles, in the Combined Cycle project of the Thermocandelaria Thermal Power Plant, in the city of Cartagena. The works are being carried out, for the spanish engineering company Técnicas Reunidas, on four fronts of work, simultaneously, with qualified human resources in the execution of the deep foundation activities, including the concrete and steel reinforcement supply, and auxiliary works.
Equipos y Terratest, subsidiary of TERRATEST in Colombia, has successfully completed the injections and drainage, from the galleries of C.H. El Quimbo for Emgesa S.A.. The injections of grout resin mortar were carried out, monitoring high flow rates and filtration pressures. Drilling works of up to 52m in length were also carried out for the installation of drainage and piezometric instrumentation, including rising drillings. This challenge was faced in the midst of the health emergency by Covid 19, implementing active quarantine isolation measures, to protect the integrity of each of its collaborators and the local population.
A challenging design and build project, located next to historical buildings (from 1890) and the "Palatul Telefoanelor", an iconic landmark.
TERRATEST PORTUGAL participates in this important project of the city of LISBON, City of Lisboncarrying out for Domingues da Silva Teixeira SA, the perimeter diaphragmwall of 600 and 800mm thickness.
TERRATEST PORTUGAL appreciates the confidence of HCI and is proud to participate in this important project, EXEO OFFICE CAMPUS, for the city of Lisbon. Diaphragmwall, anchors and precastpiles of the Terra type..
One more year, in Terratest we have celebrated SafetyDay. With this celebration the company wants to recognize the effort and the work well done of all the people who are part of this great team, especially in the difficult situation we are living due to the threat of the Covid-19. It is also a day to evaluate the achievements we are making. Last year, 2019, we reduced the accidents registered globally by more than 25%. But we don't want to stop there, our aim is GoalZero to get everyone home safe after every workday..
Terratest Cameroon, Terratest Group's subsidiary in Cameroon, has finished the manufacturing and driving of the Terratestprecastpiles, in the new Carrefour supermarket in Yaoundé, Cameroon, for our client CFAO. The foundation solution has been designed by Terratest's Engineering Department: 451 Terra T300 type piles of 300x300 and 104 Terra T350 type piles of 350x350, both of variable lengths. No accidents have been reported during the execution of the works, Safetybeginswithme. We keep on implementing new foundation technologies and contributing to the development of the country.
Terratest, in its commitment to guarantee the highest levels of environmental protection, establishes a list of principles as a basis and reference framework in the development of all its activities. Management and transparency in the area of sustainability are the basic necessary conditions in all the Group's activities and in the management of green projects and infrastructures and clean energies, responding adequately to the environmental challenges that we face and having all the specialized means to ensure maximum quality, respect for the environment and a commitment to knowledge and technology.
Some images of deep foundation works carried out by Terratest France in 2019/20, which continue today on the various sites of the Grand Paris Express Line 16 project, from Aubervilliers to Sevran Beaudottes.
Terratest Foundations Nigeria, a subsidiary of Terratest Group, has carried out for Urban Shelter LTD, the foundation by means of CFA piles and pile caps of the Oniru Apartments project, in Oniru, Lagos. The project consisted of 350 piles of 450 mm diameter at a depth of 12 meters. Sonic tests were performed on 100% of the piles and 2 static load tests, giving a result of 0 non-conformities.
Terratest is involved in the Greater Tortu Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) extraction project located on the Senegal-Mauritania border. Together with Eiffage, Terratest is carrying out the execution of a secant-pile retaining wall in the Port of Dakar, which will form the future wharf for the Onshore facilities of the energy project. With a length of about 200 ml perimeter, the retaining wall is formed by 880 mm diameter piles and between 15 and 18 ml deep.
RODIO executes the artificial ground freezing for 6 cross-passages for the project Rotterdamse Baanen in Den Haag. For each Crosspassage approx. 24 drillings for the installation of the freezing pipes have been executed. The freezing will be executed by using the brine system.
Terratest has successfully completed the foundation work of the lake’s perimeter wall in the Open Sky Mall, in Torrejón de Ardoz (Madrid), using compacted gravel aggregate columns with GEOPIER's IMPACT® system. 482 columns have been carried out in less than two weeks. It is a soil improvement solution to increase the bearing capacity of the foundation supporting ground and reduce the settlements.
Hotel Bonanjo, anchored retaining walls: 150 anchors to a depth of 30 m, executed by Terratest Cameroun in partial lifts, for a 3-floor basement. Combining adequate engineering and safety measures, the work was executed in the rainy season in the center of Douala.
The construction company MBTP has started the works for the construction of the new Kempinsky Hotel in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo. Terratest Congo (TCA) was selected by MBTP as the subcontractor for the deep foundation works. The execution deadlines are very strict: approximately 500 piles must be ready in 2 months’ time. In order to meet this Schedule, Terratest has mobilized 2 rigs (IMT 180 and Soilmec SR-50) working in a double shift.
Terratest Maroc begins the piling works at the Port of Tangier for the Willemen Group. Two bored piles rigs are being used: IMT 250 and Soilmec 930. The piles, 1350mm in diameter and 28 meters deep, will serve as a foundation for the loading and unloading cranes of the new container terminal that is being developed by the company APM TERMINALS.
40th anniversary of AETESS. Four decades leading the geotechnics applied in Spain, On Wednesday 14th of June was the date chosen to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of our Association of Soil and Subsoil Technology Companies, AETESS ...
To finalize a tunnel and execute a breakthrough with a T.B.M. is all a success. Al well as simultaneously finishing two tunnels at the same exit shaft. Herrenknecht AVN800 and AVN1200 Tunnel Boring Machine. Sharq Village Area (Qatar)
TERRATEST GROUP has been awarded in the 2016 PEM (Movicarga Lifting Awards), Madrid in the category of Heavy Duty Crane Works with less than 300 Tn capacity.
Grupo Terratest has participated in the 10th National Symposium of Geotechnical Engineering, that will take place in La Coruña next 19, 20 and 21 October, with the main subject “Surveying, treatment and ground improvement”. It will be organized by the Spanish Society of Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering (SEMSIG).
Terratest initiates the foundation of the new Campofrío factory in Burgos.
Terratest Group's subsidiary in Peru, Peru SAC Terratest Prefabricated Foundations, has been hired by Tecnicas Reunidas Talara, SAC to perform the works of foundation of the Modernization Project of the Talara Refinery, Peru, of the state company Petro-Peru.
One of the largest ultrafiltration surface (UF) water plant in the world is being built in Ceyranbatan. This water facility will have a treatment capacity of 520,000 m3 per day bringing drinking water to Baku, capital city of Azerbaijan with over 3 million people population.
INTERVIEW
Carlos Vázquez closed almost 50 contracts in eight years, making Terratest one of the leading foundation companies in Romania.
The creation of a new association representing Romanian ground engineering companies marks a steady upturn in the country’s economy, according to Romanian Associations of Foundation Contractors (ARCF) president Carlos Vazquez.
"There are no bargains in Qatar”, warns Jaime Martinez Martín, General Manager of Terratest Qatar, the only subcontractor from Spain in the emirate, specializing in the geo-technical and microtunneling fields. “The market has no confidence in newcomers. I have seen companies come and go because they have failed to assess the time and effort necessary to mature. That is a waste of money”, he explains while sitting in his modest office in Doha, away from glamourous skylines that identify this capital.
The selection of the construction method with pipe jacking.
Compared with segment lining in tunnels with medium diameter.
Grupo Terratest https://www.terratest.com/
Terratest appoints Jose Montero Ruiz de Molina as new CEO
2023TERRATEST has appointed Jose Montero Ruiz de Molina as the company's new CEO. Enrique Torres García-Lomas, Terratest's current Chairman and CEO, maintains his role as Chairman.