Rute, Córdoba

In the case of this project the client had purchased an old Spanish Villa in the mountains above the town of Rute, Córdoba. They had extended the property as well as terracing the exterior to allow for the construction of a new pool.

Unfortunately the contractor and/or the architect had not anticipated the effect these works would have on the existing ground conditions. As a result the property began to experience severe structural damage as a result of settlement occurring to the new elements of the property.

An underpinning scheme was required and Rock Foundations (SL) was asked to consider the situation and assist with the design of a suitable solution.

It was decided that the structure itself would require a scheme which included a new piled floor slab with hit and miss pockets to pick up the foundations of the structure. These works would have to completed from within the property so a restricted access rig was mobilised. This particular piece of equipment, Kitten Rig, was able to enter the house through the front door and access all other areas of the property through the internal door openings.

A total of 12 200mm drill bar piles were installed inside the property which were subsequently incorporated within a new in situ concrete floor slab.

For the external underpinning works access was not so restricted so it was possible to mobilise the Klemm 802 rig which installed a further 17 300mm drill bar piles. These piles were then incorporated in a new ground beam which provided additional support to the rear of the property as well as the terraced areas.