Sustainable Products for Geotechnical WorksÂ-Paper

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The paper argues that geotechnical construction can significantly support sustainability by reducing material use, emissions, energy consumption, and construction traffic. Decisions made during planning—including construction methods, materials, and required product quality—shape a project’s environmental impact. Early collaboration between owners, designers, and specialist contractors is therefore essential, particularly for solutions such as geothermal activation that must be incorporated from the outset.<br /><br />Sustainability should be assessed across a structure’s life cycle, balancing environmental, social, functional, and economic performance. Product quality can extend service life and reduce maintenance, but over-design wastes resources; performance-based specifications may allow more efficient solutions. The authors also call for reliable benchmarks, quantified sustainability benefits, and certification or regulatory systems that make environmental performance comparable and valuable.<br /><br />Project examples demonstrate the potential of alternative geotechnical methods. At the QH Track project in Berlin, Mixed-in-Place retaining walls and silicate-gel grouting used less material and reduced soil disposal and deliveries. Compared with conventional methods, the alternatives cut estimated carbon emissions by more than 50% and construction traffic by over 70%. The paper also describes geothermally activated retaining walls and foundations that can provide building heat.<br /><br />Digital tools can further improve sustainability by optimizing designs for cost, time, and carbon emissions; using monitoring data and AI to refine assumptions and identify risks; and tracking production, quality, and material consumption to prevent defects and waste. These measures can shorten construction, reduce resource use, and limit noise and air pollution.<br /><br />The authors conclude that sustainable geotechnical products are already being implemented, but wider adoption depends on early planning, data-driven evaluation, appropriate incentives, and solution-oriented partnerships.

Keywords

geotechnical construction

sustainability

life cycle assessment

carbon emissions

material efficiency

construction traffic reduction

geothermal activation

performance-based specifications

digital optimization

environmental performance