Geotechnical investigation and testing for Hotel Biševo in Komiža
The town of Komiža is located on the western coast of the island of Vis. On this location, right by the coast of the Adriatic Sea, in Ribarska Street, the construction of a new building — Hotel Biševo — is planned. This future building brings a combination of luxury and Mediterranean charm, and the architectural vision for its construction is signed by the renowned Studio 3LHD. Ribarska Street, where the hotel will be located, already has its own charm with local restaurants, souvenir shops and colorful fishing boats. The construction of Hotel Biševo will further enrich this picturesque coast, contributing to the tourist experience of Komiža.
Island of Vis
The island of Vis is located in the central part of the Adriatic Sea and is one of the islands farthest from the coast. In recent history, because of its strategically important position, the island of Vis was closed to foreign tourists and did not develop as a tourist destination to the same extent as the other Adriatic islands. In the second half of the last century, the entire island was used for military purposes, and even today it is possible to find numerous remains of military facilities scattered all over the island. Vis became a tourist destination only at the end of the 20th century. The island itself can be divided into two parts: the town of Vis in the East and the town of Komiža in the West.
Planned works
At the location, the existing hotel is to be demolished and a new group of buildings for catering and tourism purposes is to be built — Hotel Biševo. The future hotel complex will extend over 12,513 square meters and will include a total of 4 separate buildings combined into a functional whole.
Geotechnical investigation and testing
The geotechnical, engineering and geological investigation and testing carried out at the location consisted of:
- geological and geotechnical prospecting of the wider area;
- exploration drilling;
- standard penetration tests;
- engineering and geological mapping of the terrain and the determination of drill cores and probe pits;
- geophysical tests; and
- laboratory tests of borehole samples.
As part of the geotechnical investigation and testing, six rotary boreholes were drilled, of individual lengths measuring between 10.0 m and 25.0 m and of a total length measuring 75.0 m. The boreholes were used to determine the geotechnical features at the location and of the underlying soil. Drilling was performed with continuous coring throughout the entire depth of the borehole.
As part of the geotechnical investigation and testing, geophysical tests of seismic refraction and 2D-MASW of a total length measuring 307 m were carried out.
In parallel with the engineering and geological mapping of the terrain and the implementation of investigation and testing, geotechnical prospecting was also carried out. It was necessary to determine geotechnical units with similar physical and mechanical characteristics for the purpose of determining the geotechnical profile of the investigated location.
Of the soil laboratory tests, soil moisture determination, granulometric composition determination, Atterberg limit determination, soil shear strength determination and a soil compressibility test by using an oedometer were all carried out.
Geotehnical features of the location
Through the conducted geotechnical investigation and testing and geotechnical prospecting of the terrain, it was determined that the location is comprised of three lithostratigraphic units: a bed of biluvial sediments covered with diluvial sand/gravel sediments and featuring loosely bound horizontal breccias.
The spatial arrangement of the geotechnical units and the position of the future building are shown in the geotechnical cross section, which provides a clear insight into the conditions of the underlying soil under the building.
Design guidelines
After the conducted geotechnical investigation and testing at the location, we came to the conclusion that it is imperative to create a main foundation design and an open pit protection design. Due to the demanding height of the cut, the geotechnical design requires an audit by a certified geotechnical auditor to ensure its full compliance with high standards of safety and engineering expertise.
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