Call: 01392 678082

Established 2004

Ruddlesden geotechnical

Ruddlesden geotechnical provides ground investigation, geotechnical consultancy and contamination assessment services.

Based in Exeter, but covering the whole of the UK, albeit primarily concentrated in the South West, Ruddlesden geotechnical was formed in 2004.

Ruddlesden geotechnical works on behalf of a wide client base, including local, regional and national housing developers, housing associations, commercial developers, building contractors, structural and civil engineers, architects, building consultants, quantity surveyors, local authorities and private individuals.

Development projects range from single dwellings and extensions to large housing estates, multi-storey flats, offices, industrial units, roads, slopes, schools, hospitals and basements.

The services and projects listed on this web-site provide an indication of those undertaken by Ruddlesden geotechnical, but others are carried out. If your requirement is not readily identifiable on this web-site, please contact us as we may still be able to help you.

  • AGS
  • Constructionline
  • CSCS
  • SMAS
  • ECFC trust

Latest news

Recent projects

  • Latest news

    27 Aug 2026

    LiDAR, UAV and GIS used for Slope Stability Assessment

    Geoff Davis has recently been working on another coastal caravan site with slope stability problems.On this site, Lewis Brown Chartered Land Surveyors used remote sensing (LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging)) from a UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) to help understand the locations and magnitude of ground movements.Ruddlesden geotechnical then used GIS (Geographic Information System)  to highlight areas of concern, to quantify the degree of movement, which might have otherwise been missed.These technologies have been great in helping us understand the landslide processes at this site and, equally importantly, convey to others what is happening. However, they are of little use without a detailed understanding of the geological and geomorphological processes, which inform the all-important ground model, i.e. they should be seen as a useful tool to help us understand and communicate landslide processes, rather than a replacement for the understanding of them.

    LiDAR, UAV and GIS used for Slope Stability Assessment
    LiDAR, UAV and GIS used for Slope Stability Assessment

  • Recent projects

    CBR Values for Road Pavement Design, Cornwall

    Ruddlesden geotechnical were commissioned to undertake California Bearing Ratio (CBR) testing to provide a design CBR value for road pavement design. The testing was to be undertaken within a highway verge of an A-road. Ruddlesden geotechnical obtained the necessary street works licence and organised the appropriate level of traffic management to protect site operatives. Trial pits were excavated within the verge to reveal the underlying subgrade. A number of Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) Dynamic Cone Penetrometer (DCP) tests were undertaken to ascertain the strength of the subgrade and, supplemented with UKAS accredited laboratory testing, used to calculate a representative CBR value for design. Bearing pressures were also provided for used in foundation design of highway signage.

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  • Recent projects

    Foundation Works Risk Assessment Allows Development to Proceed

    Ruddlesden geotechnical were commissioned to undertake a Foundation Works Risk Assessment for a proposed commercial development within the centre of Cirencester. The development was to include the installation of piled foundations to support the proposed buildings. The Environment Agency were concerned that the installation of the piled foundations could mobilise contaminants within an overlying thickness of made ground into the underlying Secondary A Aquifer (Forest Marble Formation) and potentially cause contamination to the water environment. Ruddlesden produced a Foundation Works Risk Assessment in accordance with the Environment Agency’s published guidance document. This included the production of a detailed conceptual site model (CSM) and identifying the potential scenarios and pollutant linkages that could occur as a result of the piling works. The risk assessment suggested that the piling contractor’s chosen piling method could foreseeably cause contamination of the underlying aquifer, as a result of displacing/ pushing contaminated soils down into it. Following the risk assessment, an alternative (non-displacement/ replacement) method of piling was proposed which would mitigate the risks of contaminating the underlying aquifer. This risk assessment was approved by the Environment Agency and local authorityand allowed the works to continue as proposed.

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