Screw piles
All pile types and their advantages.
Why screw piles by the water?
- No dewatering and no cofferdam needed
- No concrete that has to cure in the water
- Vibration-free, the bank and planting stay untouched
- Ready to load at once: the bearers go straight on
- Removable after a temporary project, such as a festival
Working from a pontoon
For the boathouse in Lier we worked mostly from a pontoon on the river. For Tomorrowland we put an excavator with a hydraulic drive head on a floating pontoon and installed the piles in the middle of the lake, without a site road to the shore.
Soft bed
Banks and beds are often soft: clay, silt or peat. We screw through them down to a bearing layer, with extensions if needed. In very soft ground we sometimes deliberately choose a pile that settles with the ground, so the structure does not end up sticking out above ground level.
Corrosion and protection
In the zone where the water rises and falls, and in aggressive soil such as peat with fluctuating groundwater, we choose a thicker wall or extra protection, such as coated piles.
Permits and the water authority
Work at or in a watercourse often needs permission from the water authority. Check beforehand with your local council or the watercourse manager.
Soiltek is a specialist contractor, not an engineering firm. We provide the manufacturer's product data and align the pile proposal with your structural engineer.