ERS had already done numerous phases of ground investigation and remediation of contamination hotspots at the site of University of Glasgow’s new Western Campus for the same large contractor client. At this part of the site, for the new Keystone Building, due for completion in 2027, ERS was asked to do an intrusive ground investigation. This was to inform the foundation design of the new building. In addition, the client wanted a geothermal borehole drilled and thermal response testing undertaken to see if a deep ground-source heating network could be installed at the site.

ERS first undertook the drilling of two boreholes to log rock cores and install gas and groundwater monitoring equipment. Due to access issues, a third borehole was installed following the demolition of the WILT building. The boreholes were completed and gas and groundwater monitoring carried out.

Following these works, the geothermal borehole was successfully drilled to a depth of 150mbgl. The borehole was installed with a closed loop system (see schematic in picture gallery) to undertake the thermal response testing required. This involved running fluid through the system to determine the thermal properties of the bedrock and see if it could heat the fluid in the closed loop to a sufficient temperature to work a heat exchanger in the proposed ground-source heat network. This testing was carried out by a suitably qualified subcontractor, and report submitted as part of ERS’s factual report to the client’s engineer.