• Foundation and Deep Excavation
• Slope Protection and Earth Retaining Works
• Slopeland Development
• Embankment
• Ground Improvement
• Dam Safety
• Seismic Risk
• Tunnel
• Groundwater Modeling
• Geo-environmental engineering
• Soil and Water Conservation Design
• Underground Construction Risk Management – Geotechnical Engineering Specialty Consultancy (GESC)

As buildings and facilities become larger and/or taller, geotechnical considerations become a very important safety factor during design and construction. With readily available database and substantial international experiences in various geotechnical problems, geological knowledge and projects, MAA has readily provided foundation engineering and deep excavation design services to various landmark building projectsincluding Taipei 101 Financial Center – the tallest building in the world, Core Pacific Shopping Mall – the largest shopping center in Taiwan, Sr. John’s Building in Hong Kong, Marina Center & the Gateway in Singapore, and Hampton Luxurious Condominium, etc.

Taipei, Singapore, Bangkok, Shanghai and Ho Chih Minh City are all located in flood plains with very soft ground condition. To achieve sound foundation for buildings or infrastructures in these areas, special geotechnical technology for ground improvement need to be employed. Planning, design and construction supervision services carried out by MAA in this field include Keelung River reclamation and Shezihdao Development in Taiwan, Airfield Pavement and Landside Road System of Survarnabhumi Airport in Thailand, Ho Chi Ming B.T. Roadway in Vietnam, Surlaya Power Plant in Indonesia, etc.

Industrial facilities and power plants are needed to fuel economic growth in many countries. Due to the product nature, some of these facilities have strict specifications in the design of the facilities. Often, geotechnical studies are needed to address special problems in vibration, earthquake and/or ground water conditions during the design and construction of these facilities. MAA conducted many extensive studies in major projectsincluding Nankang Software & Linkou Technology Parks, Hsin Yu Co-Generation Power Plant, Hoping & Hsin-Tao Power Plant in Taiwan, Tuas A Power Station in Singapore, and Vibration Mitigation Measurements planning and design for Tainan Science Park.

A geotechnical databank is a powerful tool to maximize efficiency during the planning and preliminary design of major infrastructure projects. In the mid-1980’s, MAA established a geotechnical zoning map for Taipei Basin through the compilation of soil investigation data obtained from various sources, ranging from utility companies to building departments. The established databank was then used for the planning of mass rapid transit system and sewage networks in Taipei. In the 1990’s, MAA combined remote sensing techniques and geographic information systems to bring the databank to a more sophisticated level. As a result another comprehensive databank was then established to map the sensitivity of slopelands throughout Taiwan. The level of hazard potential of the slopelands are rated, zoned and mapped. The databank acts as a guide for future slopeland developments and slopeland development policies in Taiwan.

Engineering geological survey requires combined expertise in engineering and geology. State-of-the-art survey techniques are utilized by MAA in surface investigation, processing and interpretation of images from remote sensing, geophysical exploration, drilling and sampling, field testing, laboratory testing, environmental geology analysis, hydrogeology analysis, identification of faults, investigation of coal mine sites, as well as geotechnical analysis and evaluation. MAA continuously adopts advanced equipment and computer software for engineering geological survey, such as the application of high resolution satellite images, global positioning system and geographic information system. Results of the survey now have found their application in major infrastructure projects as well as large-scale private development projects.

Due to scarcity of land in Taiwan, Hong Kong and other countries in Southeast Asia, many developments are being limited by the surrounding hillsides to flatlands, which are causing great loss of life and properties during raining or typhoon season. However, with improved technology in dealing with stability and erosion, slopeland development is now possible. MAA has devoted great efforts in carrying out hundreds of project with slope development and soil & water conservation problems. One of the most successful cases is the Great Taipei City in suburban Taipei, which is a 500 hectares residential development area Recently, MAA assists the Taiwan government to establish the geological hazard information including debris flows, rock falls, landslides, erosions, abandoned mines and cavities, etc. into a GIS system as part of national hazard mitigation program.

The role of geotechnical engineering in the design and construction of the Taipei Rapid Transit Systems (TRTS) cannot be over-emphasized. To reduce the risk caused by geotechnical problems during construction and operation of TRTS, the Department of Rapid Transit Systems (DORTS) of the Taipei Municipal Government commissioned MAA as the Geotechnical Engineering Specialty Consultant (GESC) to advise and assist DORTS on matter of geotechnical concern. The scope of services included the review of detail design material, tender documents, and geotechnical design summary and special provisions rendered by Detail Design Consultants (DDC) in design stage. In the construction stage, GESC was responsible for the review of geotechnical design and construction documents, establishment of Integrated Data Storage Center and collection, maintenance, and analysis of monitoring data. In addition, geotechnical technology transfer through GESC’s daily operation and a series of technical lectures as well as technical courses were given by GESC to DORTS. In the capacity of GESC, MAA helped DORTS manage the risk caused by geotechnical uncertainties, advised DORTS on possible claims due to changed ground conditions, and improved the quality of design and construction of TRTS. The contributions of GESC were generally recognized by the DORTS, DDCs, and contractors.

The geotechnical engineering laboratory of MAA was established in 1975. Throughout the years, MAA has also established geo-laboratory in Bangkok and Singapore to expand with more advanced testing equipments and qualified staff. In 2000, the quality assurance of MAA Lab was certified with ISO9001 and Chinese National Laboratory Accreditation in 2002. MAA Lab possesses world-class geotechnical engineering testing technology and equipments. In addition to the daily choirs of general physical tests on soil and rocks, Compaction tests, California Bearing-Ratio (CBR) tests, Unconfined Compression tests, Direct Shear tests, Tri-axial Compression tests, Oedometer tests, and Tri-axial Permeability tests, MAA Lab can conduct advanced tests such as Constant Rate of Strain (CRS) tests, K0-consolidated Undrained Tri-axial Compression (CK0UC) tests, and K0-consolidated Undrained Tri-axial Extension (CK0UE) tests to provide necessary information for advanced soil behavior analysis.