Build October 2016 NEW

Build Magazine 62 Sustainability & Eco SM Associates provides high-quality ground investigation and geotechnical consultancy services both within the UK and overseas. The company has a fleet of rotary drilling rigs and a team of expert site staff and geotechnical specialists. The services offered by the firm are very much as a collaborative partner, providing the client with specialist geotechnical advice from project inception to foundation design. round risk is often the single biggest contributor to construction delays, over engineering and additional costs and this is often due to the risks not being managed. The SM Associates team has a wealth of knowledge and expertise within ground engineering and can help the client to manage this risk, through the provision of high-quality specialist ground investigation services to the built environment sector. A relatively new company in the industry, SM Associates was established by leading experts in the fields of ground investigation and geotechnical engineering, and has used its collective knowledge of the industry to establish a unique but cost effective service. “We often work very closely with Consulting Engineers who have been employed by the client to provide design for their projects,” says Julian Lovell, Director at SM Associates. “Often, the client and many of the consulting companies do not have the ground specialists in-house to do the job themselves, and so SM Associates approach is to become part of the client’s team as their specialist. We always encourage the client to engage or preferably appoint the ground specialists early on in the project. This allows us to build up a better appreciation of the site and the project and design the ground investigation and subsequent geotechnical work to hopefully eliminate or at least reduce the ground risk of the project.” It is true that S M Associates have access to a depth and breadth of experience that is, according to Julian, becoming increasingly rare in the industry. “Clients have expressed concerns over the quality and reliability of the Ground Investigation data that they are being provided with. To overcome this, we look to get the basics right, which may seem like a simple enough aim, but many within our industry have been struggling with a lack of investment. As a result, there is a tendency to blame poor performance on low margins, and we are determined to avoid falling into that trap. Putting the Future First G “We at SM Associates are passionate about what we do and the industry we work in,” Julian announces. “We are strong believers that the statement ‘we have always done it this way’ is a dangerous one, as it leads to apathy from within. We always believe that there is a better way of doing our work, and whilst good practice is a perfectly acceptable goal to aim at, there should be no reason not to aim for best practice. “We are also actively involved with the British Drilling Association which represents the drilling contractors and the Association of Geotechnical and Geo-Environmental Specialists which represents the consulting engineers. This allows us to keep abreast of the industry but also to be involved in and support any initiatives for improving safety and quality. According to Julian, the industry is very buoyant at the moment, with major infrastructure projects including rail, smart motorways, and power stations in the pipeline, as well as a multitude of small to medium construction and development projects. Unlike other busy periods, where the work was often concentrated in the South East, there is a spread of work from Scotland to the south coast. Julian brings especial attention to the positive impact that new rail projects like HS2 will provide for companies such as S M Associates. “HS2 is currently keeping about 40 per cent of the UK drilling capacity busy, and is likely to require this level of resource for the next two to three years. HS3 and HS4, which take the connections north of Birmingham to Manchester and Leeds, are also likely to require preliminary geotechnical work from 2017 onwards. Crossrail 2 is also scheduled for 2017. “On top of this, works are currently underway or planned for the next phase of nuclear power and possibly even shale gas – if the politics and environmental concerns can be resolved. So currently, the projected workload is more than enough to keep everybody in the industry busy.” As Julian reveals, the numerous new opportunities on the horizon are giving the industry cause to reflect upon its practices, and how they might be applied in these future projects. Currently taking stock of their current situation, and asking if the current plant and techniques are appropriate, SM Associatesand its competitors are coming to the conclusion that some of the drilling techniques that they employ are becoming aged and obsolete. Although effective in variable ground conditions, these methods are not always the safest. This is an important concern for Julian, especially with environmental protection taking such a key position in the debate as the new bank of projects looms ever closer. “The industry has been slow to innovate,” comments Julian, “and those who have are not always rewarded especially as these older and often more simplistic techniques are cheaper. Therefore, innovation is important, but it has to go hand in hand with improved efficiency and safety. There are often better alternatives, but clients are reluctant to adopt them if they are significantly more expensive. As technology is embraced more and more, cost typically reduces, and this will allow the sector to become more efficient, safer and cost effective. On the back of this revelation that technological innovation is key to the industry moving forward and developing new, affordable methods of drilling, Julian discusses the role that his firm plays in cultivating this creative mindset within the industry, and expresses immense pride in playing a leading role in this area. “SM Associates have formed a number of strategic partnerships with technology companies, as we believe that technology based solutions are another way to move the industry forward and keep us at the forefront. These partnerships have so far involved the adoption of an innovative tablet based digital logging system called KeyLogbook which captures driller’s data at source (on site) and allows it to be sent directly from site in real time using the industry standard digital format (AGS). The SM Associates drilling rigs are also equipped with a sensor based guarding system which means that the rigs are safer and more efficient to use than rigs with the normal heavy safety cages.