Roger Bullivant provide and install foundations for a new state of the art technical school on the site of Silverstone Racing Circuit.

Silverstone University Technical College offers academic and technical learning in high performance engineering, motorsport and technical event management.

The soils underlying the site comprised of unpredictable made ground of firm gravely sandy clay to depths of 3m.

RB suggested a solution utilising vibro stone columns which would introduce reinforcement to the soil and improve its geotechnical properties.

A total of 998 stone columns were installed below the school up to 4m.

In order to meet the design requirements stone columns were concentrated below the foundations to provide a bearing capacity of 150kN/m2 with a column spacing of 2.5m under the floor slab.

Stone columns with a diameter of approximately 450mm were installed to refusal, which was expected to equate to approximately 3.5m.

The overall result was to allow pad foundations to be formed at a higher level within the made ground.

Foundation testing after installation confirmed that the design would achieve the required specification.