Civil Engineering
Roche Group - Civil Engineering/Infrastructural Contracting
Roche Group Contracting has gained invaluable experience of civil engineering and infrastructural projects. Our involvement has varied from providing purely project management services to being the main contractor to design and engineering consultancy. Whatever the job we bring together some of the best minds and best hands anywhere to get the job done on time and within budget.
Cois Luachra – Land Reclamation
The original site was approximately 80% water, as it served as a water basin for a large surrounding area. This presented numerous engineering challenges and required a significant amount of land reclamation. It also made site clearance a very difficult task. In order to reclaim the land from the lake, we also needed to take environmental considerations into account, as the lake functions as a bird sanctuary.
Land reclamation was completed using compacted and layered fill. This was necessary to provide stability for the housing structures as well as the roads and drainage systems. By completing the fill in layers, we avoided having to wait for natural settlement, which would have added substantial time to the overall process. Between each layer of fill, a stabilising membrane was installed to minimise movement.
Sewer Infrastructure
The sewer infrastructure was completed next. This stage was made easier because the reclaimed land had been filled in layers and was structurally stable. However, trench boxes were still required for safety reasons. The main sewer runs were constructed using concrete pipes, while the individual housing units were serviced using plastic pipes.
Specialised Foundations – Piling
Each housing structure in this development required piling in the foundations to prevent future sagging or cracking and to ensure long-term stability. Precision was critical, as the structures needed to be aligned perfectly with the piles. Once a pile was driven, the concrete at the top was cut away to expose the steel core. This steel was then tied into the foundation steel.
Each pile had to reach the base rock and varied in depth from 10 to 32 metres below ground level.
Land Forming
Once the site fill was complete, we began shaping the reclaimed land. Given the importance of aesthetics in a development such as this, the land-forming step was critical in determining how the site would look once finished. This work was carried out under the guidance of our engineers, who collaborated closely with our architectural team.
Water Attenuation / Hydro-break Control System
Because this site was previously a water basin for the surrounding area, a water attenuation system was required to avoid flooding. The system involved laying attenuation storage beneath the reclaimed land to allow the water basin to retain the same water volumes, without causing the lake levels to rise due to the smaller open-lake area. The water attenuation system works in conjunction with the hydro-break system to ensure that the lake does not dry out in summer or overflow during the wet season.
Cois Ghruda – Land Forming
The site for this development is located on a relatively steep slope. This required meticulous planning by our engineers. The benefits of this planning became clear later in the project. Once the correct levels had been established, we began stripping the site and shaping the land to allow for the foundation trenches to be created. In this development, we used straightforward strip foundations. We also needed to take into account the installation of the main gas lines, as each unit in this development has gas-powered central heating.
Sewer Infrastructure
The sewer infrastructure was a straightforward task and consisted of concrete, steel (for gas), and plastic pipes on the main runs, along with plastic piping around the individual structures. The plastic pipes used here were for carrying CAT5, telecom, and electricity cables.