Ground improvement beneath dual filter foundations at Atlantis The Palm

The primary engineering challenge was to improve the ground's bearing capacity without damaging the sensitive underground infrastructure.

Risk: conventional methods like dynamic compaction or vibro-replacement would create ground vibrations capable of rupturing the buried pipes.

Access: the site was congested, with limited headroom and access for heavy plant.

Schedule: work was restricted to night shifts (6 PM – 2 AM) to minimize impact on the hotel's operations.

Geobear’s geopolymer injection was selected as the only viable solution due to its vibration-free application.

Precision grid: we installed 170 injection points in a tight 1m × 1m grid pattern to a depth of ~2.2m.

Service avoidance: small-diameter tubes were drilled manually to ensure zero risk of utility strikes.

Low-pressure injection: expanding geopolymer resin was injected to compact the soil via volumetric expansion rather than dynamic force.

Real-time monitoring: laser heave monitoring ensured the lift remained within safe limits to protect the overlying structures.

The project was delivered safely over eight night shifts.

Verified improvement: post-treatment Dynamic Cone Penetration Testing (DCPT) showed a 2–3x increase in blow counts, confirming the loose sand had been significantly densified.

Asset protection: critical utilities remained live and untouched throughout the process.

Environmental benefit: the process had a significantly lower carbon footprint than traditional soil replacement.

Comparison of estimated SPT N₆₀ values before and after Geobear’s treatment