ABSTRACT
Together with the constant preoccupation with the safety standards of new structure’s foundations the worldwide awareness of climate change continues to increase, making these two elements together with costs the biggest parameters for any foundation project. From the beginning of any foundation project the methodology for a full-scale static load testing program can already optimise many of the requirements in terms of costs and safety, however, only now the environmental optimisation is truly valued. The bi-directional load testing method, by eliminating the reaction structures of the traditional top-down testing methodology, allows the reduction of the overall carbon footprint of the testing program in the most efficient, safe and cost-effective manner for all types of foundations, particularly for larger test loads. The benefits of using bi-directional load tests and how effective they are at reducing carbon emissions will be described. The inclusion of some case studies will illustrate the reduction of CO2 for (bi-directional) static load testing of foundations in general.
