Las Rocas, Málaga

The owner of an older villa in the Las Rocas area of southern Spain was experiencing some settlement issues which resulted in a number of cracks appearing throughout the property.

In order to stabilise the property and prevent further cracking an underpinning solution was required. As the majority of the remedial works were to be carried out from inside and due to the age and condition of the property a solution would have to designed which would not require the need of any heavy plant.

Having carefully assessed both the logistical and the geotechnical considerations the Rock Foundations (SL) engineering team decided upon a Grundomat piled solution.

This small but powerful self contained pneumatic hammer is able to be man handled into position. Once connected to a suitable compressor, a 4000 litre unit in this instance, the hammer was able to drive a close ended steel tube down through the made ground and soft layers beneath until it was founded in the stiffer clays at a depth of around 6m.

Once completed the piles were cut down to level filled with a structural grout enabling the contractor to incorporate them within a new concrete foundation.