The UK’s construction industry plays a huge role in carbon emissions. It’s estimated that the industry contributes to 40% of the UK’s total carbon emissions. So, sustainable piling practices are one way in which we can achieve sustainable construction for a low-impact, highly effective outcome.
Embodied carbon, which is the term for emissions from the complete process of extracting, transporting and using construction materials, is responsible for 20% of the UK’s built environment emissions. So, identifying the key contributors from materials and construction processes is critical to achieving a net zero future.
At Geobond, it’s our responsibility to adapt to different environments and use our expertise and planning skills to support local residential projects and get it right the first time with the least impact on the surrounding environment.
Sustainability in Construction.
Favouring sustainable piling practices helps to mitigate water contamination, reduces waste, leaves the ground in peace, and reduces any noise pollution or aftermath of dust and debris.
Typically, heavy machinery is a huge catalyst for water pollution if it meets the groundwater. Swapping out large machinery for more focused, automated, and compact machinery helps to alleviate these risks.
These methods are not only ecologically sound, but they’re often more cost-effective, less wasteful, and when strategised correctly, can save on time and resources.
That’s why sustainable piling practices are essential to a building’s solid foundations and the future of sustainable construction.
Geobond prioritises sustainable technology, machinery, and structurally sound, environmentally friendly materials to preserve the environment as best as possible.
What Is the Environmental Impact of Piling?
Piling poses a few environmental risks, such as:
· Noise pollution.
· Ground disturbance.
· Water contamination.
· Total carbon emissions.
However, at Geobond, we implement many types of pile foundation techniques as a viable solution to minimise any environmental problems. Below ground, sustainable piling has helped to support innovative, eco-friendly buildings and it’s a technique that, when used wisely, can contribute to build communities and iconic buildings valued for a lifetime.
Here are some of the ways we prioritise sustainability in construction.
Sustainable Piling Practices: Our Piling Services.
Mini Piling Services:
This service is suited for busy urban areas where space is precious, and disruptions must be kept at a minimum. Mini piling ensures that vibrations and disturbances are limited while also potentially providing an economic benefit to piling by favouring smaller machinery.
Due to space restrictions in some sites, utilising mini piling foundations may be the best option, both from a height restriction and door-width point of view. Due to all these factors, mini piling stands to be an environmentally conscious approach in urban areas.
Explore Mini Piling, London to get your piling project underway!
Silent Piling Services
We’re focused on using high-spec technology such as state of the art silent piling rigs that meet the needs of multiple environments. Piling rigs shouldn’t be undervalued for their safety credentials and the ability to rapidly complete a project with minimal environmental disturbance or caution to construction workers.
Silent piling utilises hydraulic pressure to ensure the piling process is vibration and noise-free. This is particularly important for meeting noise pollution needs. Furthermore, as the piling rigs are fully electric, the emissions from such a service are less than the conventional piling services.
Bored piles
These are made on-site by drilling a hole and filling it with concrete. In comparison with driven piles, they are quieter to install and create fewer vibrations during installation. From a sustainability point of view, bored piles require less excavation and backfill than a driven pile alongside a smaller footprint of disturbance than a driven pile. This can help to reduce the environmental footprint left by the piling process.
The Future of Sustainable Piling.
You can find a wide array of developments worldwide that may help promote continued sustainability in construction. The key factors in environmental impact are:
Waste Reduction.
Using the bored pile technique generates the correct amount of concrete needed, resulting in minimal waste. In typical piling techniques, there is a large amount of waste to trim piles down to their cut-off level. However, when bored pile techniques are not used, a method of reusing cut-off material is a way to manage waste.
The cut-off material from the previous pile is driven in as the base of the next pile, leading to minimal material waste, lowering total construction costs, and less material to transport off-site for disposal.
A zero-trim process has been proposed as another method of waste reduction. Typically, as part of the trimming process, the concrete may be left to harden before being trimmed. The zero-trim method vacuums out the excess concrete down to the cut-off level before it has had time to harden. The vacuumed concrete can then be reused in the next pile, meaning minimal waste, reduced noise from the trimming process, and fewer carbon emissions.
Reducing Carbon Footprint.
The total carbon footprint of raw materials in construction contributes anywhere between 50 and 90% of the total carbon emissions. Therefore, it is key to move over to low-carbon concrete and other low-carbon alternatives in the piling process. For example, screw piles reduce the total amount of concrete used in high-shrinkability soil and, when no longer required, can be removed and recycled.
Using renewable energies.
Opting for renewable energy is another large step in reducing carbon output. For example, switching from the traditional piling to Geobond’s electric silent piling rig reduces noise pollution while allowing for the use of energy from sustainable sources. In the scenarios where the silent piling rig cannot be used, there are hybrid piling rigs, which are a step in the right direction, making use of an electric motor alongside the standard diesel engine.
Automation.
Reducing human error in the piling process will inherently reduce the total waste, emissions, time spent on projects, and risk of accidents. Some sites are beginning to use AI-powered piling rigs, which adjust and adapt to the changing ground conditions in real-time. This means that piles are installed with extreme precision, speeding up the overall process whilst also reducing errors. These errors may otherwise compromise the stability and safety of the whole project. Furthermore, these automated piling rigs also have environmental sensors to monitor the surrounding area, checking for potential hazards to make it safer for all workers.
Environmental regulations.
The UK government has continued its commitment to the 2050 net-zero targets. By 2030, the total embodied carbon should be less than 350kgCO2e/m². As part of this, the materials used in piling mats and general fill should be more than 50% recycled material. By leaning into the innovations and technologies laid out above, these targets may be achievable by 2030.
Sustainability in Construction: Wrapped Up.
To conclude, there are many factors to consider in the piling process, from the rigs being as safe, efficient, and cleanly powered as possible to the materials and processes used to install piles. With each of these factors, there is an environmentally and ecologically friendly option, and these considerations should be embedded into sustainable piling practices for the future.
Whilst new technologies will continue to develop and drive the piling industry in a direction to further reduce the total impact of this process, the current technologies can be further adopted to make changes now. Geobond is committed to offering the most environmentally friendly options available to suit the construction needs of the project. No matter the soil or ground structure!See where we operate and how we can support your project here. Choose from our Mini piling London services, Silent Piling and Board Piles to discover how they could work for you! We’re forever focusing on enhancing our quality management systems and adhering to the latest environmental guidelines. Learn more about our commitment to the environment here.
