GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING FOR THE MOST DEMANDING PROJECTS
For 30 years, Equaterre has supported clients, developers, contractors and public authorities in understanding and managing ground-related challenges, from feasibility studies through to construction supervision.
Historically established in the French Alps, the Group has developed extensive expertise in complex and challenging ground conditions, including compressible soils, unstable slopes, embankments, seismic areas and constrained sites.
Combining extensive field experience, in-house investigation capabilities and applied research, Equaterre provides a comprehensive approach to geotechnical challenges throughout the project lifecycle.
EXPERTISE ROOTED IN THE FIELD
Understanding the ground to better control the project.
In geotechnical engineering, every decision begins with a precise understanding of ground conditions.
Equaterre manages the entire data chain, from site investigations and testing through to engineering analysis and interpretation. With in-house investigation equipment and drilling teams, field data remains directly connected to the engineering studies that follow.
This integrated approach helps identify risks, optimise construction solutions and contribute to greater control over cost, programme and safety.
SEVEN COMPLEMENTARY AREAS OF EXPERTISE
A complete chain of expertise, from investigation to execution.
Equaterre operates across seven complementary areas, supporting projects from initial ground investigations through to the delivery of geotechnical works.
GEOTECHNICAL STUDIES
G1 to G5 Missions · Feasibility · Design · Execution · Supervision · Diagnostics · Foundation, earthworks and retaining structure design.
NATURAL HAZARDS
Landslides · Rockfall · Shrink-swell clay · Seismic Risk · LiDAR Mapping · Risk Assessment · Mitigation Measures.
GEOTECHNICAL CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT
Design and supervision of geotechnical works · Underpinning · Ground Stabilisation · Retaining Structures · Drainage · Client Support through to Completion.
SITE INVESTIGATIONS & IN-SITU TESTING
Drilling · Static and Dynamic Penetration Testing · Pressuremeter Testing · Geophysics · Piezometry · Instrumentation & Monitoring.
LABORATORY TESTING
Soil Identification and Characterisation · Mechanical Testing · Soil Behaviour Analysis.
EXPERT ASSESSMENT & DIAGNOSTICS
Analysis of Structural Disorders and Failures · Root-Cause Investigation · Technical Assessment · Definition of Remedial Solutions.
TECHNICAL ADVISORY
Site Selection · Foundation Optimisation · Technical Solutions · Technical and Financial Assessments.
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IN-HOUSE INVESTIGATION CAPABILITIES
FROM DRILLING RIG TO LABORATORY.
The quality of a geotechnical study depends directly on the quality of the data on which it is based.
Equaterre operates its own investigation teams and equipment, enabling drilling, sampling, testing and measurement to be carried out directly in the field.
Core drilling, destructive drilling, penetration testing, pressuremeter testing, plate load testing, piezometry and site instrumentation provide a detailed understanding of ground conditions and behaviour.
This integrated capability creates a direct connection between the ground, the data and the engineering solution.
RESEARCH & INNOVATION
ADVANCING MEASUREMENT TO ADVANCE ENGINEERING.
Applied research is one of Equaterre’s defining strengths.
Through its dedicated R&D subsidiary, Equatech.R&D, the Group transforms challenges encountered on construction sites into research programmes and then into practical tools and methodologies for engineering projects.
Its research focuses particularly on in-situ test instrumentation, interpretation of penetration data, cyclic soil behaviour and numerical modelling.
Equaterre also develops proprietary testing equipment to access parameters that conventional testing methods do not always provide, particularly in relation to cyclic behaviour, dynamic response and soil liquefaction.
ENGINEERING CONNECTED TO RESEARCH
REDUCING UNCERTAINTY THROUGH KNOWLEDGE.
Equaterre’s approach brings field engineering and academic research closer together.
The Group collaborates with recognised French research laboratories and institutes, including 3SR Laboratory in Grenoble, Gustave Eiffel University and INRAE, on testing, modelling and applied research programmes.
The objective is highly practical: better-measured parameters, more accurate designs and a clearer understanding of risk.
EXPERTISE FOR COMPLEX PROJECTS
ANTICIPATE RISK. OPTIMISE SOLUTIONS. SECURE DELIVERY.
Equaterre works with private developers, public-sector clients, industrial companies, contractors and major construction groups, across residential, commercial, infrastructure and industrial projects.
Its experience in complex ground conditions and its historical presence in the French Alps provide particularly valuable expertise for mountain developments, where topography, slope stability, foundations and natural hazards can become critical project considerations.
EQUATERRE WITHIN THE ENGINEERING GROUP
GROUND EXPERTISE COMPLETING BUILDING ENGINEERING.
Within The Engineering Group, Equaterre brings a fundamental additional discipline: geotechnical engineering.
Operating at the interface between the ground and the structure, Equaterre complements the collective’s capabilities in structural engineering, building services, energy performance, construction cost management, project management and construction delivery.
This complementary expertise allows ground conditions and geotechnical risks to be considered earlier within the overall project strategy.
UNDERSTAND THE GROUND. MANAGE THE RISK. SECURE THE PROJECT.
30 years of experience. 120 professionals. 14 offices. Integrated geotechnical expertise, from investigation through to execution.