Associated risk with sub structure and its mitigation strategies.

The rising cost of construction materials  due to Russia and Ukraine disputes have  driven the Berlin building market toward refurbishment of existing buildings. Surveys of housing companies indicate this shift. For example, in light of rising construction prices, 24 percent of responding companies said they would forgo new construction projects, but only eight percent were considering forgoing modernization projects, (DIW Weekly report, 2023).

while Refurbishment of existing buildings offers financial incentives, it also comes with a lot of constructability challenges. challenges related to proposed project and its mitigation strategies are discussed as under. 

Along with functionality and seepage issues,  the rise in water table can also cause significant structural risk to the proposed project, including pore water pressure, foundation uplift,  soil liquification, settlement and   foundation failure.  while  visual observation of the proposed existing building shows no sign of  foundation settlement, it is recommended to hire Hydrologist consultant, for in-depth analysis of ground water table and shall co ordinate with structural engineers to offer mitigative solutions in case of any risk has been found. 

While the  rise in ground water table is a major problem for Berlin city and requires Government funding and resources to tackle this issue, our client can also adopt some temporary mitigative risk to avoid its negative impact on the proposed project,  such measures includes:

• Rain water sewerage shall be directed towards drains, external open land shall be covered with concrete or non porous tile to facilitate water flow away from site.

• Effective drainage shall be ensured to prevent any ground seepage.

• water extraction well shall be driven and water shall be extracted through water pumps.