HGSI Geotechnical Services

Geotechnical Problems Solved Quickly and Practically

When working with HGSI you can expect a professional and expedient approach to your project. We have over 35 years of experience working on industrial, commercial, residential, and municipal projects. We handle common projects to complex and niche.

We focus on getting in, getting dirty, and getting out. We’ll follow up with intense, detailed, and targeted reporting that makes sense for your project. Our mission is to provide the best expertise for the value, without additional fluff or frills you’ll find elsewhere.

See our process below:

Step 1 | Scoping

A successful geotechnical project starts with understanding the client objectives, and tailoring the scope of work to achieve those objectives most economically. On every new project, our clients consult with senior level engineers with expertise in local agency requirements and the unique geologic constraints of the Pacific Northwest. We “right-size” every scope of work and budget based on the client needs, considering:

Type of project
Unique aspects of project siting or design
Agency requirements
Anticipated soil and geologic conditions
Economic considerations
Structural/Architectual Needs

Step 2 | Geotechnical Investigations

HGSI has deep expertise in performing geotechnical investigations. Based on the project scoping and objectives, we bring the most effective and economical tools in our subsurface exploration tool kit to bear. This might include one or more of:

Geologic / Geotechnical Reconnaissance
Hand Auger Borings
Excavator Test Pits
Borings – Light trailer-mounted solid-stem auger rigs
Borings – Truck-mounted drill rigs with mud rotary or diamond-bit coring
Geoprobe
Limited access drill rigs or “spider-hoe” equipment
Electronic Cone Penetrometer Test (CPT) Soundings
Slope Inclinometer Installations and monitoring
Vibrating Wire Piezometers
Infiltration Tests using electronic HOBO meters
Pavement Coring
Dynamic Cone Penetrometer Tests for soil subgrade strength determinations
Geophysical surveys

Step 3 | Design & Analysis

Every project is different in terms of the geotechnical design input and analysis required. There is no “one size fits all” solution. HGSI tailors the analysis provided based on the project objectives and scoping. We have particular expertise in providing:

Structural Foundation Analysis

Settlement Analysis
Spread Footings
Mat Foundations

Deep Foundations

Micropiles
Driven steel piles
Auger cast-in-place piles
Drilled piers
Helical Anchors

Slope Stability Studies

Shoring Design

Soldier Pile Walls
Temporary Ultra Block Shoring Walls
Temporary Excavation Slopes
Sheet Pile
Soil Nail Walls

Ground Improvement

Cement Treatment
Stone Columns
Engineered Aggregate Piers (Geopiers)

Earthquake Engineering

Site Seismic Hazard Studies
Soil Liquefaction Analysis
Lateral Spreading Analysis
Mitigation Measures for Liquefiable Sites

Retaining Wall Design

Step 4 | Building Permit Assistance

For our private developer, industrial and homeowner clients, obtaining a building permit is often the biggest hurdle to project completion. HGSI has expertise with all of the local agencies and understands the level of geotechnical study needed to satisfy the permit requirements in almost every situation. To put the building permit “over the top,” HGSI provides post-report geotechnical services including:

Responses to Agency review comments
Explanations of geotechnical work performed, as requested by Agency reviewers
Additional geotechnical input needed by structural engineers, architects, and planners as needed to address Agency requirements

Step 5 | Construction Monitoring Services

HGSI has skilled soil technicians that provide geotechnical monitoring services during site earthwork and foundation construction. Most jurisdictions require that these services are performed to verify that site and foundation construction conforms to the project specifications and building permit requirements. Our services are particularly valued for providing cost-effective solutions and engineering input in response to challenging and /or unanticipated conditions. We provide monitoring services for: