Swansea sits at a low average elevation of just 6 metres above sea level, yet its geology shifts abruptly within a few hundred metres. Glacial till from the Devensian period meets alluvial clays along the Tawe corridor, while post-industrial made ground underlies much of the city centre. A shallow foundation design here has to reconcile these contrasts from the first borehole log. We run direct shear tests on undisturbed samples, determine undrained shear strength, and feed the numbers into bearing capacity calculations per BS EN 1997-1:2004. For sites near the waterfront, a companion CPT test often helps us map soft lenses that traditional boreholes can miss, and we cross-check deformation parameters with a triaxial suite when the structure imposes tight settlement limits. The goal is a foundation level that works with Swansea's ground, not against it.
A single metre of depth change can double the bearing capacity when you cross from Swansea's alluvium into its glacial till.
