The role of geological and geotechnical tests and the impact of monitoring on the costs and project execution dates

The requirements concerning the underground construction are rising every day. We want to build deeper, bigger and in more and more urbanised areas. The need for communication buildings is increasing: the new metro lines, road and rail tunnels, underground parking lots. There are also increasing needs for road, rail and tram networks extension. As a result, all of the projects concerning those matters are conducted in the soils of minimum capacity and in the areas with high surface waters levels as well as the areas with existing, often complex, underground infrastructure. The authors will try to present the role of properly conducted geological and geotechnical tests and the geotechnical monitoring system – from the start of the preparation works up to conducting final tests and the handover of the continuous monitoring system.  They will also analyse the costs of the tests and monitoring and their impact on the whole cost of project execution.

Vincenzo Caci, Sisgeo S.r.l.

Civil and Geotechnical Engineering at Parma University graduate. He began his career as a Logistics Manager for an Italian contractor. After that, he worked at a construction site of the high-speed railway between Milano and Bologna, first as a Deputy Project Manager and then as a Head of Technical Office. Over the period of execution of this project, he came into contact with geotechnical and structural monitoring and, in particular, with the Company SISGEO Srl, a worldwide recognized manufacturer of geotechnical instrumentation. In March 2008 he started a new career path as a Sales Engineer in SISGEO, to become International Sales Manager in 2011 and Sales Director in 2016. During his experience in SISGEO, he’s been appointed as a Project Manager for several important monitoring projects and he was dedicated to the expansion of SISGEO business worldwide. He is a member of Italian Geotechnical Association (AGI) and a member of Monza Chamber of Engineers as well.