Fugro performs Monaco’s first O-cell pile tests for L’Anse du Portier eco-project
Fugro has completed an 11-month land site characterisation project for the Sogefon/Fondamenta joint venture as part of Monaco’s prestigious L’Anse du Portier (Portier Cove) land extension project. Fugro supported the foundation design phase by performing three Osterberg cell (O-cell) pile tests, a first in Monaco, to acquire a comprehensive understanding of the new site’s substrata resistance, on which a ‘forest’ of more than 1000 piles will be installed.
L’Anse du Portier is a land extension of Monaco’s existing coastline and will create a new 6-hectare eco-district around the Grimaldi Forum exhibition centre. The complex onsite geology requires foundation piles with a diameter of up to 1.8 m and 60 m long to reach solid ground. To verify the pile design, Fugro utilised the O-cell method as the best option for the land extension’s geology and configuration, and the demanding project schedule. The average friction test result was around 30 % higher than the friction value considered during the initial design phase, which will enable Sogefon/Fondamenta to optimise their pile design for construction and achieve significant cost savings.
Leonardo Pedrazzi, deputy administrator of Sogefon, said: “Fugro’s O-cell test results provided vital parameters that allowed us to fully characterise the geotechnical conditions of the site’s three foundation zones. The Geo-data acquired have optimised our pile design ready for the installation phase.”
Michel Maron, geotechnical engineer for Fugro, said: “Interpretation of the three test piles clearly demonstrated the value of O-cell testing and enabled Sogefon/Fondamenta to correlate results from the friction and tip resistance tests performed onsite for much more accurate ground insights.”
For more information
Michel Maron m.maron@fugro.com
About Fugro
Fugro is the world’s leading Geo-data specialist, collecting and analysing comprehensive information about the Earth and the structures built upon it. Adopting an integrated approach that incorporates acquisition and analysis of Geo-data and related advice, Fugro provides solutions. With expertise in site characterisation and asset integrity, clients are supported in the safe, sustainable and efficient design, construction and operation of their assets throughout the full lifecycle.
Employing approximately 10,000 talented people in 61 countries, Fugro serves clients around the globe, predominantly in the energy and infrastructure industries, both offshore and onshore. In 2019, revenue amounted to EUR 1.6 billion. The company is listed on Euronext Amsterdam.