Brunei 4000-Unit National Housing Scheme Project

at Menkabau, Kampong Mentiri, Bandar Seri Begawan

PRELIMINARY GEOTECHNICAL REPORT

Submitted on

4th November 2010

by
Brunei 4000-Unit National Housing Scheme Project
At Menkabau, Kampong Mentiri, Bandar Seri Begawan

PRELIMINARY GEOTECHNICAL REPORT

Table of Contents
1. Introduction .................................................................................................................. 1

1.1 Background............................................................................................................. 1

1.2 Objectives ............................................................................................................... 1

2. Existing Site Conditions .............................................................................................. 2

2.1 Site Location ........................................................................................................... 2

2.2 Climatic Condition ................................................................................................... 2

2.3 Existing Topography ............................................................................................... 3

2.4 Existing Drainage .................................................................................................... 4

2.5 Site Geology ........................................................................................................... 5

2.6 Existing Borehole Data ........................................................................................... 5

2.7 Indicative soil strata profile and soil properties across the site ................................ 7

3. Preliminary Geotechnical Assessment .................................................................... 11

3.1 SPT N-value versus Soil Depth ............................................................................. 11

3.2 Bulk Density versus Soil Depth ............................................................................. 12

3.3 Water Content versus Soil Depth .......................................................................... 12

3.4 Fine-grained Soil Classification ............................................................................. 13

3.5 Suitability of existing soil as earth filling material ................................................... 13

3.6 Use of high plasticity clays .................................................................................... 16

4. Total Consolidation Settlement ................................................................................ 17

4.1 Factors affecting ground settlement ...................................................................... 17

4.2 Estimation of total settlement ................................................................................ 17

4.3 Proposed Mitigation Measures for Long Term Settlements ................................... 18

5. Slope Stability ............................................................................................................ 19

5.1 Major slopes along Site boundary ......................................................................... 19

5.2 Proposed Slope Monitoring Instrumentation Plan ................................................. 19

6. Recommendations & Conclusion ............................................................................. 21

Brunei 4000-Unit National Housing Scheme Project
At Menkabau, Kampong Mentiri, Bandar Seri Begawan

6.1 Recommendation of additional soil investigation ................................................... 21

6.2 Conclusion ............................................................................................................ 23

Brunei 4000-Unit National Housing Scheme Project
At Menkabau, Kampong Mentiri, Bandar Seri Begawan

1. Introduction
1.1 Background
The Brunei Economic Development Board (BEDB) has appointed United Engineers,
Malaysia (UEM) as the Contractor for the pilot scheme to design and build 4000 houses
together with the necessary supporting infrastructure for the National Housing Scheme of
Brunei Darussalam on a green-field site of approximately 320 hectares at Mengkubau,
Kampong Mentiri, Bandar Seri Begawan in Brunei Darussalam (hereinafter refers to as the
Site). Surbana International Consultants (SIC), UEM’s appointed consultant for this project,
is preparing this Preliminary Geotechnical Report as part of the earthworks design, and in
accordance with the submission requirement of JKR (Geotechnical and Geological Section).

1.2 Objectives
The purpose of this report is to provide preliminary geotechnical assessment and
considerations for the proposed earthworks and subsequent residential development. The
information provided herein is primarily based on Report No. PF1174/09-7 “Soil Investigation
Works for Pilot Scheme to Build 4000 Houses within 48 Months for the National Housing
Scheme of Brunei Darussalam, Negara Brunei Darussalam” prepared by Teca (B) Sdn. Bhd.
on behalf of BEDB, and is not intended for detailed engineering design purpose.

The scope of this report includes:

• Characterisation of subsurface materials based on the available geotechnical data

and assessment on the suitability of the existing soil as fill materials

• Evaluation on the adequacy of the earthworks and foundation design in terms of

ground settlement and slope stability

• Recommendation of additional soil investigation for detailed geotechnical analysis

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Brunei 4000-Unit National Housing Scheme Project
At Menkabau, Kampong Mentiri, Bandar Seri Begawan

2. Existing Site Conditions

2.1 Site Location

The Site is approximately 320 hectares of green-field site within the Brunei-Muara District
and is located at Mengkubau in Kampung Menteri. It is approximately 12 km from Bandar
Seri Begawan and bounded by both private and public buildings on Jalan Muara Road and
Jalan Kota Batu Road on the North-West and East of the Site respectively. The Menteri-
Subok Highway forms the southern boundary of the Site (refer to Figure 1)

Figure 1: Site Location Plan. Source: BEDB

2.2 Climatic Condition

Located in the north-western region of the Borneo Island, Brunei enjoys a tropical/equatorial
climate with high rainfall and warm temperature throughout the year. The climatic changes
are from the influences of the monsoon winds. The northeast monsoon occurs from
December to March, while the southeast monsoon occurs from June to October.
Brunei receives a high annual rainfall of about 2300mm. One of the two rainy periods is from
September to January with the wettest month being December. The second wet season is
from May to July. The mean temperature is about 23.8 to 32.1 ºC.

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Brunei 4000-Unit National Housing Scheme Project
At Menkabau, Kampong Mentiri, Bandar Seri Begawan

2.3 Existing Topography

The Site topography ranges in elevation from RL15m at the northern boundary along Jalan
Muara Road to RL100m at the southern boundary. This varies across the Site with broad
ridges and gullies to the north and steep slopes with deep valleys to the south (refer to
Figure 2). The general vegetation of the Site is a mixture of secondary forest of over 30
years with generic vegetation.

Figure 2: Existing Topography. Source: BEDB

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Brunei 4000-Unit National Housing Scheme Project
At Menkabau, Kampong Mentiri, Bandar Seri Begawan

2.4 Existing Drainage

The natural drainage through the Site is illustrated in Figure 3. The Site is situated at the
headwaters of four principal catchments as follows:

· Sungai Orok river and Sungai Salimbigar river falling to the East
· Sungai Mengkubau river falling to the north west crossing Jalan Kota Batu road
· Three tributaries of the Sungai Tanah Jambu river falling in a northerly direction
which joins immediately after crossing Jalan Muara road

Figure 3: Existing Drainage. Source: BEDB

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Brunei 4000-Unit National Housing Scheme Project
At Menkabau, Kampong Mentiri, Bandar Seri Begawan

2.5 Site Geology

Based on existing geological map, the formation of the Site is inter-bedded sandstones,
mudstones, shale and occasional beds of lignite (refer to Figure 4)

Figure 4: Site Geology. Source: BEDB

2.6 Existing Borehole Data

Preliminary soil investigation works had been carried out by TECA (B) SDN. BHD. on 12th
August to 15th September 2009. This included 13 numbers of boreholes to determine the
subsoil conditions for preliminary design and cost estimation by the tenderers. Figure 5
shows the layout of the borehole locations with respect to the Site. The spacing between the
boreholes varies from 500 to 900 m. The ground elevation at various borehole locations also
varies significantly, with a maximum difference of about 40 m. Based on the borehole data,
the water table ranges from 1 to 5 m below ground.

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Brunei 4000-Unit National Housing Scheme Project
At Menkabau, Kampong Mentiri, Bandar Seri Begawan

Xxx

8 9 7

13

10 5

1
4

2
12
3
11

Figure 5: Borehole Location Plan in the Preliminary Site Investigation. Source: BEDB & Surbana

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Brunei 4000-Unit National Housing Scheme Project
At Menkabau, Kampong Mentiri, Bandar Seri Begawan

2.7 Indicative soil strata profile and soil properties across the site

Figures 6 to 13 show the indicative soil profile across the project site. The subsoil generally
comprises very soft to very stiff clay and silt, and occasionally inter-bedded with very loose
to dense silty sand at some locations.

Figure 6: Indicative soil strata profile along BH 1 to BH 2

Figure 7: Indicative soil strata profile along BH 1 to BH 4

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Brunei 4000-Unit National Housing Scheme Project
At Menkabau, Kampong Mentiri, Bandar Seri Begawan

Figure 8: Indicative soil strata along BH 2 to BH 4.

Figure 9: Indicative soil strata profile along BH 4 to BH 3.

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Brunei 4000-Unit National Housing Scheme Project
At Menkabau, Kampong Mentiri, Bandar Seri Begawan

Figure 10: Indicative soil strata profile along BH 5 to BH 12.

Figure 11: Indicative soil strata profile along BH 6 to BH 9.

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Brunei 4000-Unit National Housing Scheme Project
At Menkabau, Kampong Mentiri, Bandar Seri Begawan

Figure 12: Indicative soil strata profile along BH 6 to BH 13.

Figure 13: Indicative soil strata profile along BH 10 to BH 6.

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Brunei 4000-Unit National Housing Scheme Project
At Menkabau, Kampong Mentiri, Bandar Seri Begawan

3. Preliminary Geotechnical Assessment

3.1 SPT N-value versus Soil Depth
Figure 14 shows the relationship of SPT N-values versus soil depth across the site, and it is
observed that the soil profile is highly heterogeneous across the site. The underlying hard
clay strata also varies considerably between the boreholes and occurs between the
shallowest of 1.65m and the deepest of 13m as recorded at BH 3 and BH 8 respectively.
The clay layer thickness varies from 1m to 13m.

SPT (N)
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Depth (m)

9
10
11
BH1 BH2
12
BH3 BH4
13 BH5 BH6
BH7 BH8
14
BH9 BH10
15 BH11 BH12
BH13
16
17
18

Figure 14: Relationship between SPT N values versus depth of the soil across the site.

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Brunei 4000-Unit National Housing Scheme Project
At Menkabau, Kampong Mentiri, Bandar Seri Begawan

3.2 Bulk Density versus Soil Depth

Figure 15 shows the bulk density versus soil depth across the site. The average bulk density
of soil is about 18 kN/m3.

Bulk Density (kN/m3)

16 17 18 19 20
0

6
Depth (m)

9
BH1 BH3
10
BH5 BH6
11
BH7 BH8
12
BH9 BH10
13 BH12
14
Figure 15: Relationship between bulk density and soil depth across the site

3.3 Water Content versus Soil Depth

Figure 16 shows the water content versus depth of soil across the site. The water content
varies from 20 to 30%.

Water content (%)

0 20 40 60 80 100
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
Depth (m)

7
8
9
10
PL
11
wc
12 LL
13
14
Figure 16: Water Content versus depth of the soil across the site

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Brunei 4000-Unit National Housing Scheme Project
At Menkabau, Kampong Mentiri, Bandar Seri Begawan

3.4 Fine-grained Soil Classification

Figure 17 shows the fine-grained soil classification based on the plasticity chart, and it is
observed that all the data points fall above the A-line on the plasticity chart, and the sub-
surface soil materials primarily comprises very soft to very stiff clays (CV, CH, CI and CL)
with low to high plasticity characteristics.

60
CE

50
CV

40
Plasticity Index (%)

CH
30

CI
20

10
CL

0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
Liquid Limit (%)

Figure 17: Fine grained soil classification based on Plasticity Chart

Note: CL = Clay of low plasticity (liquid limit <50, inorganic), CI = Clay of Intermediate plasticity, CH = Clay of high plasticity
(liquid limit >50, inorganic, fat clay), CV = Clay of very high plasticity, CE = Clay of extreme high plasticity (liquid limit > 90)

3.5 Suitability of existing soil as earth filling material

As mentioned earlier, the site topography is very undulating with a maximum ground
elevation difference of about 85 m. Of the 13 boreholes that were carried out during the
preliminary site investigation, two of them (BH-1 & 8) fall outside the Site boundary. Five of
them (BH-2, 3, 4, 9, & 13) are located at the proposed cutting zones, while the remaining six
(BH-5, 6, 7, 10, 11 & 12) at the proposed filling zones.

Figure 18 shows the locations of the boreholes in the earth-cutting zones. The proposed
cutting depth varies from place to place with a maximum of about 50 m. And Figure 19
shows the locations of the boreholes in the earth-filling zones. The filling depth also varies
from place to place with a maximum of about 34m.

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Brunei 4000-Unit National Housing Scheme Project
At Menkabau, Kampong Mentiri, Bandar Seri Begawan

Max. Cut-depth (m) Min. Cut-depth (m)

BH-9

BH-13

BH-4

BH-2
BH-3

Figure 18: Major Earth Cutting Zones. Source: Surbana

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Brunei 4000-Unit National Housing Scheme Project
At Menkabau, Kampong Mentiri, Bandar Seri Begawan

Min. Fill-depth (m) Max. Fill-depth (m)

BH-7

BH-6

BH-10
BH-5

BH-12

BH-11

Figure 19: Major Earth Filling Zones. Source: Surbana

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Brunei 4000-Unit National Housing Scheme Project
At Menkabau, Kampong Mentiri, Bandar Seri Begawan

Three number of laboratory compaction tests were conducted for sandy-silt soils as part of
the preliminary soil investigation. These test results show that the optimum moisture content
of the soil is about 12 % and the maximum dry density is about 18.8 kN/m3. Based on this
information, the suitability of the soil in the earth-cutting zone as earth-filling materials will be
evaluated.

The principal geotechnical consideration regarding earth-filling is to achieve the design

bearing capacity of 75 kN/m2 to support the raft foundation for the terrace houses and semi-
detached houses. The soils across the site consist primarily of clays which are observed to
possess low to medium plasticity characteristics, with some rare high plasticity
characteristics. The low to medium plasticity clays (CI, CL) are considered suitable for use
as earth-filling materials as they show reasonably good compaction characteristics which
can be compacted by the sheepsfoot roller and rubber-tyre roller. Cohesive soils are stiff and
tightly bound together by molecular attraction. They are plastic when wet and can be
moulded, but become very hard when dry. Appropriate water content, evenly distributed, is
critical for proper compaction with adequate impact or pressure.

3.6 Use of high plasticity clays

The use of the high plasticity clays as fill materials should be avoided due to their potential to
change volume (swell or contract) in response to changes in water content. The subsurface
soil which generally consists of stiff to hard clays (CH, CV) have a moderate to high potential
expansive nature for shrinkage and swelling when subjected to fluctuation in moisture
content. These types of clayey soils may not be suitable for earth-filling for building and
pavement areas but could be used as general earth-fill materials for open spaces and public
green.

Removal of potentially expansive soils will need to be considered in foundation design.

Alternatively, in order to optimise the use of earth-cutting materials, general soil mixing /
blending of various suitable and unsuitable soils could be allowed with proper handling.
Mixing unsuitable soils with suitable soils requires an evaluation of the engineering
properties of the mixed soil in order to determine the right mix ratios for the various types of
materials. If the volume of unsuitable soils added to suitable soils is limited to about 25 to
40%, the final product is generally acceptable. During excavation, high plasticity clays may
also form lumps of too high or too low water content. Therefore, the earthworks contractor
will have to adjust the water content on site in order to achieve the optimum level to allow
proper compaction.

The compaction characteristics of a soil can be assessed by means of standard laboratory

tests. It is recommended that suitable numbers of standard laboratory compaction tests be
conducted to obtain the range of optimum moisture content and dry density of soil. However,
the results of laboratory compaction tests are not directly applicable to field compaction
because the compacting efforts in laboratory tests are different from that produced by field
equipment. The results of laboratory compaction tests are used only as a guide for the
preparation of earth works in the field. Field density tests can be carried out to verify the
standard of compaction in earthworks, where dry density is being calculated from the
measured values of bulk density and water content. A number of methods of measuring bulk
density in the field are detailed in BS 1377 (Part 4).

The desired level of compaction is best achieved by matching the soil type with its proper
compaction method (refer to BS6031: 1981). Other factors, such as compactor specification
and job site conditions, must be considered as well.

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Brunei 4000-Unit National Housing Scheme Project
At Menkabau, Kampong Mentiri, Bandar Seri Begawan

4. Total Consolidation Settlement

4.1 Factors affecting ground settlement
The type of foundation proposed has taken into consideration bearing capacity failure and
excessive settlement. For foundations on cohesive soils, the principal design criterion is
typically the latter, which will include the control of expected settlements within the allowable
tolerance. The estimation of total settlement over the service of life of the structure is also a
major factor in the choice of foundation design.

Settlement of soils (consolidation) is a complicated natural phenomenon, which is influenced

by a number of factors, including the nature and mineralogy of the soil, the soil particle
arrangement, whether the soil is undisturbed or remoulded, its past stress history, the
drainage conditions affecting the particular circumstances, etc. For land development works,
the pre-development soil investigation should identify areas of risk such as organic soils,
swampy areas, etc.

Settlement will also occur within earth fills due to the self-weight of the fill. The consolidation
settlement and elastic compression of fill are a function of time, albeit of long or short
duration, thus in some cases it may be necessary to allow a period of time to elapse from the
placement of fill to the commencement of building construction.

4.2 Estimation of total settlement

As stated earlier, 6 nos. of boreholes (BH 5, 6, 7, 10, 11 & 12) are located within the
proposed earth-filling zones. The consolidation settlement of clay layer in the earth-filling
zones is estimated for fill heights of 5m, 15m and 34m. The estimated total consolidated
settlements are shown in Table 1. The maximum estimated consolidation settlement of
about 0.945m is found in BH-7 location for a fill height of 34m. A major part of the total
settlement could take place as immediate settlement during the construction stage, leaving
only an allowable amount of long term residual settlement.

Table 1: Estimated total consolidation settlement across the project site

Compression Coefficient Vol
Thickenss Modulus Compressibility
S.NO BH No Soil Type of Clay (m) SPT N Value (MPa) (m2/kN)
1 12 Clay 3 12 12 0.00008333
2 11 Clay 3 11 11 0.00009091
3 7 Clay 4.5 3 3 0.00033333
4 5 clay 3 3 3 0.00033333
5 6 clay 3 10 10 0.00010000
6 10 Clay 3 11 11 0.00009091
Fill Height = 5m Fill Height = 15m Fill Height = 34m
Overburden Overburden
pressure Settlement Overburden Settlement pressure Settlement
S.NO BH No (kPa) (m) pressure (kPa) (m) (kPa) (m)
1 12 90 0.023 270 0.068 630 0.158
2 11 90 0.025 270 0.074 630 0.172
3 7 90 0.135 270 0.405 630 0.945
4 5 90 0.090 270 0.270 630 0.630
5 6 90 0.027 270 0.081 630 0.189
6 10 90 0.025 270 0.074 630 0.172

Note: Assumed fill density as 18 kN/m3

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Brunei 4000-Unit National Housing Scheme Project
At Menkabau, Kampong Mentiri, Bandar Seri Begawan

4.3 Proposed Mitigation Measures for Long Term Settlements

a) Proper Site Clearance and Compaction
Prior to carrying out earthworks, the areas to be cut, to receive fill, or to receive stockpile
materials should be cleared and stripped of all debris, deleterious materials, organics and
vegetation, and remnants resulting from site demolition. All trees and root system should be
removed from their entirety. If unsuitable materials are encountered during the excavation /
cutting, these materials should be removed in its entirety and replaced with well compacted
engineered materials. All fill materials should be soil that is free of organic matter and other
deleterious substance. Materials for use as engineered fill should not contain rocks or hard
lumps greater than 150 mm in maximum dimension and should have at least 80 percent
passing the 9.5 mm sieve and at least 5 percent passing the 0.075 mm sieve.

Fill material should be spread in uniform lifts not exceeding 300mm in un-compacted
thickness where heavy equipment is used and not more than 100mm where light hand-
operated compactors are used. Before compaction begins, the fill should be brought to a
moisture content that will permit proper compaction by either aerating the material if it is too
wet, or spraying the material with water if it is too dry. Each lift should be thoroughly mixed
before compaction to provide a uniform distribution of water content. The fill material should
be at water contents above the optimum water content prior to being placed on the fill
surface for compaction. The compacted fill should achieve dry density of not less than 95 %
of the maximum dry density at optimum moisture content as determined in the standard
proctor laboratory tests. In general, the higher the degree compaction the higher will be
shear strength and the lower will be the compressibility of the soil.

b) Preloading of filled ground

The most important factor in ensuring satisfactory performance of stable earth-filling is to
limit post-construction differential settlements. The design and construction of fills should be
such that the long term residual settlements are kept within acceptable limits. The degree of
short term consolidation of the subsoil should be more than 90%, leaving less than 10% of
the total settlement to take place over the long term. For raft foundation, it is recommended
that post-construction settlement should not exceed 80 mm.

Long term consolidation may take place over many years depending on the drainage
conditions of the embankment or foundation. If necessary, preloading could be adopted as a
ground improvement technique to accelerate the consolidation process of subsoil. It involves
loading on the filled ground surface to induce a greater part of the ultimate settlement that
the ground is expected to experience after construction.

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Brunei 4000-Unit National Housing Scheme Project
At Menkabau, Kampong Mentiri, Bandar Seri Begawan

5. Slope Stability

The assessment of slope stability by consideration of geological features, measurement of

soil strengths, groundwater conditions, and calculations of theoretical factors of safety, is a
specialised task which requires adequate soil data and relevant design parameters. The
problem is exacerbated by the need to consider the following:

i. The range of parameters assumed to be applicable, given the present state of

stability of a slope.
ii. Presence of unique geological features
iii. Present and future groundwater levels
iv. Consequences of limitations on future site development.
v. High intensity rainfall events.

Hence, it is important to identify possible indications of the future slope failure locations in
the proposed development boundary.

5.1 Major slopes along Site boundary

Major slopes along the Site boundary are identified in Figure 20. The heights of the slopes
vary from about 5 to 30m. They will be terraced at height intervals of not more than 4.5m
according to the guidelines provided by the Town & Country Planning (TCP) department. A
detailed analysis of these slopes is not possible at this stage due to the limited soil
information within reasonable proximity of the slopes to give an accurate representation of
the soil condition nearby.

5.2 Proposed Slope Monitoring Instrumentation Plan

Slope stability and landslide monitoring involves selecting certain parameters and observing
how they change with time. The two most important parameters are groundwater levels and
displacement. Slope displacement can be characterised by depth of failure plane(s),
direction, magnitude, and rate. One or all of these variables may be monitored. Conventional
slope monitoring utilises a single or combination of the following methods.

i. Water standpipes allow the determination of water levels;

ii. Surveying fixed surface monuments, extensometers and inclinometers allow
determination of direction and rate of slope movement and depth and aerial extent of
the failure plane;
iii. Extensometers provide an indication of displacement magnitude.
iv. Manually-operated probe inclinometers are the most common means of long-term
monitoring of slopes.

The location of the groundwater table is particularly important during stability and
settlement analyses. High groundwater tables result in lower effective stress in the soil
affecting both the shear strength characteristics or the soil and its consolidation
behaviour under loading. It is important to identify the location of the groundwater table
and determine the range in seasonal fluctuation.

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Brunei 4000-Unit National Housing Scheme Project
At Menkabau, Kampong Mentiri, Bandar Seri Begawan

Figure 20: Major Slopes along Development Boundary. Source: Surbana

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Brunei 4000-Unit National Housing Scheme Project
At Menkabau, Kampong Mentiri, Bandar Seri Begawan

6. Recommendations & Conclusion

6.1 Recommendation of additional soil investigation
The preliminary geotechnical report is based on limited borehole data provided by BEDB
during the tender stage. It is recommended that additional soil investigation to be carried out
to better define the soil condition of the proposed site. Additional exploration of the site
would be required to obtain more detailed information concerning sub-surface conditions and
to obtain samples for laboratory testing of classification and engineering properties in critical
areas of concern such as

• Areas with unfavourable ground conditions

• Areas of major cut and fill
• Locations adjacent to existing major structures

There are no hard and fast rules for borehole spacing but generally 1 borehole per 5 hectare
in a green field site and 250 m to 500m for the construction of roads and highways. Spacing
can be increased or decreased depending on the ground conditions. From the preliminary
site investigation, the soil strata across the site are highly heterogeneous. Hence it is
recommended to carry out additional soil investigation at closer interval to obtain a more
refined soil profile. The most commonly used field testing methods in sub-surface
investigation are:

• Boreholes with standard penetration tests (SPT), and collection of disturbed and
undisturbed soil samples for laboratory testing
• Cone penetration tests (CPT)

Figure 21 shows the proposed additional site investigation layout plan. 60 boreholes and 28
cone penetration tests are proposed across the Site. All the boreholes should be terminated
within the original natural ground after confirmation of hard strata when 3 consecutive SPT
N-values of 50 blows or more are obtained or when bedrock is encountered.

The collected disturbed and undisturbed soils samples are used for laboratory tests. The
types of laboratory tests commonly used to determine soil classification and engineering
properties are listed below:

• Soil classification test

o Particles Size Distribution
o Atterberg limits
o Moisture content
o Unit weight
o Specific gravity

• Engineering / Mechanical tests

o One Dimensional Consolidation Test (Oedometer Test)
o Unconfined Compression Test (UCT)
o Unconsolidated Undrained Triaxial Test (UU),
o Compaction test

The total stress strength parameter like undrained shear strength, Su is required for short
term undrained stability analysis of embankment on cohesive soils and for foundation design
(e.g. footing) in cohesive soils. The effective strength parameters like c’ and φ’ are for long
term stability analysis of foundation, embankment and slopes, particularly cut slopes.

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Brunei 4000-Unit National Housing Scheme Project
At Menkabau, Kampong Mentiri, Bandar Seri Begawan

Consolidation parameters allow evaluation of deformation of the subsoil when there is a

change of stress in the subsoil.

The knowledge of groundwater level, groundwater pressure and potential flooding is

important in soft clay as they will affect the effective stress of the subsoil and also the
design. Water level observation in completed boreholes and existing wells (if any) should be
taken daily during the ground investigation, particularly in the morning.

Figure 21: Proposed Additional Borehole and CPT Locations. Source: Surbana

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Brunei 4000-Unit National Housing Scheme Project
At Menkabau, Kampong Mentiri, Bandar Seri Begawan

6.2 Conclusion
This preliminary geotechnical report is prepared based on the limited soil information
provided during the tender stage, and is therefore could only provide some broad
understanding of the soil conditions of the Site. For detailed analysis of long term
settlement and slope stability, additional soil investigation has to be carried out as
proposed above. A final geotechnical report will be prepared upon receiving the
additional soil investigation report.

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