Engineering Site Characterisation

Characterisation of sites is an important step in civil engineering study or design. In order to devise a design for an engineering project a range of contextual factors need to be determined. These include intrinsic aspects of natural and anthropogenic history, such as geological context and former industrial use as well as its environmental considerations. The engineering properties of ground needs to be assessed and understood for the purpose of development. Extrinsic impacts on the site such as the risk of fire, extreme wind loads and earthquake also need to be well understood. This subject will examine typical technical tools for characterising a site for infrastructure development, covering a range of the above aspects that are relevant to the site and development. In doing so students will learn the skills and an approach to conduct site assessments, including the ability to select the appropriate geo-environmental tools for site investigations. This subject is part of a trio of subjects that consider different aspects of infrastructure projects; Engineering Site Characterisation studies how to determine the character of a site for a infrastructure project, Sustainable Infrastructure Engineering examines how the project relates to the broader social, political, economic and environmental context, while Engineering Project Implementation concentrates on the operational aspects of implementing a project. Together they form the basis of further professional infrastructure engineering subjects. Students who have completed this subject will have valuable skills to gain engineering work experience.

• 1ILO1 - Conduct a simple topographic survey of a site
• 2ILO2 - Evaluate the soil and geology of the site as it impacts the intended development
• 3ILO3 - Evaluate the relationships of a site and its intended changes with its neighbours
• 4ILO4 - Select the appropriate geo-environmental technical tools for site investigations
• 5ILO5 - Estimate critical design parameters
• 6ILO6 - Identify, assess and document the risk arising from natural disasters
• 7ILO7 - Examine planning requirements
• 8ILO8 - Write a report to communicate key aspects of the character of a site as it affects the design of changes to the site
• 9ILO9 - Develop a site investigation plan to better understand the issues and inform design of mitigation measures