Distinguished in complex foundation work

In the world of foundations, not every project is standard. Some structures require specialized knowledge, unique techniques and innovative solutions. That's where Franki Grondtechnieken comes in, a leading player when it comes to special foundation techniques for challenging construction sites, which in special cases can also call on its specialist backers.

Franki Grondtechnieken is an experienced foundation specialist for good reason. "We exist for over a hundred years and are part of Franki Foundations from Belgium which in turn belongs to the Besix Group," says Jan-Wim Verhoeff, director of Franki Grondtechnieken. And that has its advantages, but more on that later. "As Franki Grondtechnieken, we focus on the more specialized side of the foundation business. Piling concrete piles is wasted on us. We really have to rely on special techniques, such as soil displacement and vibration-free systems, as well as large diameters and long piles. This means that we often operate in complex environments in utility construction, infrastructure projects and petrochemicals, projects where you can't get by with traditional piles."

In-house engineering department

A major added value of Franki Grondtechnieken is its own engineering department. "It is therefore our preference to get involved in a project at an early stage, so that we can think along in optimizations and solutions," Verhoeff emphasizes. "Even in projects where the design has already been fully worked out, and which we are therefore actually only allowed to price, we always have our engineering department take a look. With our years of knowledge and experience, we often come up with a more interesting alternative in terms of price and execution. We also offer total solutions in which we provide clients with a complete construction pit excavated to depth. Including walls, piles, earthwork, drainage and any soil injection, and of course the entire coordination. This allows the contractor to concentrate fully on the construction itself and we deliver the construction pit neatly on the agreed date."

Total Disposal

A good example of such "total deconstruction" is the construction pit for the new nuclear power plant in Petten. "We took care of the diaphragm walls, anchoring and piles there, as well as the earthwork and drainage up to the pouring of the underwater concrete and the structural floor," explains Verhoeff. "In this way, we also made the complete construction pit for the RIVM in Utrecht, also in a very complex environment. And on the Maasvlakte, we carried out a project for which we were responsible for the total pile foundation of a new biofuel plant. The work consisted of partially drilled and driven piles. The piling was performed by a fellow foundation company, but the total coordination and project management was in our hands. On the same Maasvlakte, we are also making the pile foundations for a large viaduct with several supports. Furthermore, we have just completed a job at TNO and are busy at Eindhoven Airport."

Nailed soil

So we really make a difference on special projects, often located in complex environments, Verhoeff summarizes. "And we do that throughout the Netherlands and sometimes beyond if our expertise is requested by our colleagues from Belgium and France. That interaction is really very pleasant. If we need extra capacity, we can also call on their people and machines. And vice versa. Or if certain techniques are required that are rarely used in the Netherlands, we sometimes make grateful use of the expertise of our subsidiary companies. For example, on the A10 at the De Nieuwe Meer interchange we used the technique of nailed soil to create a steep slope. This is a common technique in Belgium and France, but can generally hardly be used in the Netherlands due to the high groundwater level. The De Nieuwe Meer intersection involved a sand embankment and the technique turned out to be extremely suitable and efficient. So we had colleagues and machines brought over from Belgium to make a difference here as well."

With more than a century of experience and know-how, Franki Grondtechnieken is known worldwide as an expert in deep foundation techniques. And they live up to that reputation with every project.