Olten Südwest - insight into a major interdisciplinary project

One of the most important and exciting development areas in the region is currently being created in Olten Südwest, a new district with various apartments, commercial sites and schools. Ecosens is supporting the project with expertise from several disciplines. The construction project includes issues relating to contaminated sites and waste legislation, ground engineering and hydrogeological investigations as well as clarifications on the use of geothermal probes and groundwater heating.

Interdisciplinary collaboration for sustainable solutions
In the Olten Südwest project, three specialist departments from the Contaminated Sites and Geology team at Ecosens with a total of six employees are working closely with the external project team. Their tasks range from providing geological and contaminated site technical support for ground investigations and hydrogeological clarifications to providing support in the planning of energy-efficient energy generation systems. They are supported by our lawyers in clarifying environmental law issues.

A particular focus is on processing and reusing excavated material directly on site as far as possible. The construction of the first building site in 2014, which was accompanied by Ecosens AG, and initial investigations show that the subsoil is very heterogeneous due to previous uses, artificial fillings and widely varying material properties. The findings from boreholes, excavator slits and groundwater sampling provide an important basis for further planning.

Significant work to date

• Execution of numerous excavator shafts, core drillings, dynamic probing with geological surveys to assess the subsoil structure, load-bearing capacity and load situation.
• Chemical and material-technical evaluation of the earth materials with regard to reuse, processing or disposal.
• Planning and technical discussion of a possible geothermal probe field and clarification of the use of groundwater as an energy source with test drillings and groundwater analyses.
• Organization and evaluation of a thermal response test (TRT) for a test geothermal probe to estimate the thermal properties of the subsurface and the energy potential.
• Ongoing consultation with the client, authorities and specialist planners to coordinate the geological, environmental and energy-related aspects.

Outlook - what's next?
The results of the investigations to date are now being incorporated into the further planning of excavation and disposal concepts, energy infrastructure and development. Ecosens will continue to provide technical and coordinated support for the project - with the aim of providing a sound basis for decision-making and providing reliable support for further planning and implementation.