Fugro supported the foundation design phase by performing three Osterberg cell (O-cell) pile tests, a first in Monaco, to acquire a comprehensive understanding of the new site's substrata resistance, on which a ‘forest' of more than 1,000 piles will be installed.

L'Anse du Portier is a land extension of Monaco's existing coastline and will create a new six-hectare eco-district around the Grimaldi Forum exhibition centre. The complex onsite geology requires foundation piles with a diameter of up to 1.8m and 60m long to reach solid ground.

To verify the pile design, Fugro utilised the O-cell method as the best option for the land extension's geology and configuration, and the demanding project schedule. The average friction test result was around 30 per cent higher than the friction value considered during the initial design phase, which will enable Sogefon/Fondamenta to optimise the pile design for construction and achieve significant cost savings.

"Fugro's O-cell test results provided vital parameters that allowed us to fully characterise the geotechnical conditions of the site's three foundation zones. The Geo-data acquired have optimised our pile design ready for the installation phase," said Leonardo Pedrazzi, deputy administrator of Sogefon.

Michel Maron, geotechnical engineer for Fugro, added: "Interpretation of the three test piles clearly demonstrated the value of O-cell testing and enabled Sogefon/Fondamenta to correlate results from the friction and tip resistance tests performed onsite for much more accurate ground insights."