Estudio geotécnico in Balenyà

In the municipality of Balenyà, the predominant soils are white and soft expansive clays, which account for more than half of the stratigraphy, followed by sandstones, conglomerates, flysch and, to a lesser extent, carbonate formations such as limestones, dolomites and marbles. Most of these materials exhibit low permeability, which creates unfavourable conditions for the discharge of water and may allow the formation of shallow aquifers in certain areas; this influences the selection and design of the foundation, particularly due to the presence of soft clays that require attention to prevent differential settlements.

With regard to specific geotechnical risks, the municipality is characterised by very low seismicity, with only five recorded events over thirty years and a low maximum magnitude; therefore, seismic action has a negligible impact on local structural design. In addition, since the deeper substrate is not clayey, the presence of expansive soils as a relevant conditioning factor is ruled out. The main recommendation is to analyse the stiffness and consolidation of the shallow clay layers to ensure adequate bearing capacity in line with the project requirements.