A geotechnical engineer’s job is to make sure that a building doesn’t get added to the long list of leaning buildings. We are all familiar with the Leaning Tower of Pisa, but did you know there are other famous buildings that are leaning?
According to Ranker, 10 famous leaning buildings are: 
- Millennium Tower – San Francisco, California
- Big Ben – London, England
- Suurhusen Church Tower – Suurhusen, Germany
- The Two Towers Of Bologna – Bologna, Italy
- Our Dear Lady At The Mountain Church Tower – Frankenhausen, Germany
- Tiger Hill Pagoda – Souzhou, China
- Leaning Tower Of Nevyansk – Sverdlovsk Oblast, Russia
- Tower Of The Milices – Rome, Italy
- Oede Kerk – Delft, Netherlands
- Church Of St. Mary And All Saints – Chesterfield, England
No matter what type of building you are designing, the first step is to understand the ground you plan to build on.
What is Geotechnical Engineering?
Geotechnical engineering is a specialty discipline of civil engineering concerning the behavior and structural interconnected properties of geologic materials and groundwater. Geologic materials include natural soil and rock, but also include man-made materials such as compacted soil fill, crushed stone, concrete and manufactured stones.
Some form of geotechnical analysis is required on anything constructed:
- on the ground,
- within the ground,
- in rock and
- made of soil and rock.
In order to analyze geologic materials and determine pertinent property values that other designers will use, geotechnical engineers use a combined knowledge of:
- civil engineering,
- agronomy,
- agricultural engineering and
- geology.
Why is Geotechnical Engineering Important?
The study of the geological material properties on a construction site are important to allow design and construction of stable structures that:
- do not settle,
- deform or crack and
- do not fall down due to foundation failure.
So if you don’t want your next project added to the list of leaning buildings make sure you have an experienced and licensed geotechnical engineer on your team.
Schemmer - Design with Purpose. Build with Confidence.
Schemmer offers geotechnical engineering services in Omaha, Lincoln, Council Bluffs, Des Moines and other locations near you. Our in-house geotechnical testing laboratory enables us to provide time-sensitive quality control testing services for earthwork and concrete construction. The lab features state-of-the-art equipment for testing and follows strict quality assurance guidelines for equipment usage and calibration.
Schemmer’s lab is certified by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Nebraska Department of Transportation and the Iowa Department of Transportation.
Schemmer's geotechnical engineers have provided analyses for projects that include, but are not limited to:
- levees,
- dams,
- soil retaining walls,
- earthen slopes,
- streams stabilization,
- all building types,
- bridges,
- roadways,
- street lights,
- railroads,
- ship yards,
- chemical plants,
- refineries,
- pipelines,
- landfills,
- communication towers,
- sewers, and
- silos.
