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LEARN MORE →In Halifax, ground improvement addresses the challenges of loose glacial tills, soft marine clays, and variable fill that underlie much of the peninsula and surrounding areas. Designs must comply with the National Building Code of Canada and Nova Scotia’s geotechnical standards to ensure long-term stability on these compressible soils. Our approach focuses on tailored solutions like stone column design to reinforce weak strata and vibrocompaction design for densifying granular deposits, mitigating settlement risks in this coastal environment.
This category supports infrastructure and building projects where native soils cannot meet bearing or seismic requirements, including port expansions, bridge approaches, and mid-rise residential foundations near the harbour. For layered profiles common in Dartmouth and Bedford, combining stone column design with preloading or rigid inclusions often proves effective. We deliver practical ground improvement strategies that align with Halifax’s demanding subsurface conditions and regulatory framework.
Hydraulically tensioned tiebacks for soldier pile and secant walls. Includes bond-zone calculation in Halifax slate, lock-off sequence specification, and lift-off testing protocol.
Fully grouted bar anchors designed to mobilize resistance through ground deformation. Suited for natural slopes in Bedford, clay-shale cuts along Highway 102, and waterfront stabilization.
Performance, proof, and creep testing per PTI DC35.1. We use local drilling contractors familiar with Halifax till and bedrock, and our engineers interpret the load-displacement curves on site.
CSA A23.3-14 Annex D \u2013 Anchorage, FHWA GEC No.4 \u2013 Ground Anchors and Anchored Systems, PTI DC35.1 \u2013 Recommendations for Prestressed Rock and Soil Anchors, NBCC 2015 \u2013 Structural Commentaries (earthquake restraint), ASTM A615 / A416 \u2013 Steel bar and strand specification
Active anchors are tensioned with a jack after grouting, so they apply an immediate compressive force to the wall or slope. Passive anchors aren\u2019t tensioned; they only mobilize resistance when the ground starts to move. In Halifax, we use active anchors where adjacent buildings can\u2019t tolerate any movement, and passive anchors for cut slopes where some deformation is acceptable.
It depends on the rock quality and the design load, but typical bond lengths in Halifax Group slate run between 3 and 6 metres. We verify that with a geotechnical investigation, often including core drilling and pressuremeter testing, to confirm the RQD and the bond stress capacity.
For a typical project, anchor design fees run from CA$1,310 to CA$5,370 depending on the number of anchors, the complexity of the geology, and the required testing program. We provide a fixed-fee proposal after reviewing the site investigation data.
They can be, if designed with proper corrosion protection. For permanent applications we specify double encapsulation (Class I) per PTI recommendations, and we often include a monitoring plan with periodic lift-off checks to confirm the lock-off load hasn\u2019t decayed.