Slope Stability on the Port Hills of Christchurch

Slope Stability on the Port Hills of Christchurch

The Port Hills of Christchurch provide a unique location for siting a dwelling. They offer views across the Canterbury plains, the mountains and the Pacific ocean which are unparalleled.  However there are some hazards associated with living in the Port Hills (and I don’t mean fire hazards).  The Port Hills have moderate to steep slopes which present a geotechnical risk for houses sited on the Port Hill slopes.

Some areas of the Port Hills were affected by deep-seated mass movement in response to the February 2011 earthquake event, which resulted in some areas being adversely affected by lateral ground movement.  Other areas can be affected by shallow soil movement, which can affect shallow foundations.

Fraser Thomas Ltd has extensive experience and knowledge in the assessment of slope stability risks for sloping sites and can provide appropriate recommendations and parameters for foundation design to ensure that foundations are not affected by any slope instability ground movement.  We use the most up to date computer software for our slope stability analyses and have a team of engineering professionals that have successfully provided foundation solutions for many hundreds of sites on sloping ground throughout New Zealand.

If you are considering purchasing a site in the Port Hills and are concerned about the stability of the site, we can undertake a pre-purchase due diligence assessment for the site, which would highlight any potential slope instability risks and will provide indicative foundation design solutions.

We also have structural engineers, civil engineers and land surveyors in our Christchurch office, so we can provide all of the other professional engineering services you will need to complete your building development on the Hills.

Mason Reed,

Fraser Thomas Ltd Geotechnical Engineering Director/Christchurch Office Branch Manager