<b><b>NHBC was the first organisation to provide contaminated land cover on new homes. This unparalleled insurance protection is backed up by robust mandatory technical standards and supported by a team of engineers whose expertise is available to guide builders on managing land quality risks. George Fordyce, NHBC&amp;’s head of engineering policy, talks us through NHBC&amp;’s land quality process</b></b><br><b>Life is getting more complicated and development sites are becoming more complex. It was not too many decades ago that the majority of foundations for traditional two-storey housing consisted of unreinforced strip footings 18 inches wide, six inches thick and constructed two feet below the ground - usually on greenfield sites. If foundations were required to be any more complicated then the site would probably not have been used for residential development in the first place.</b><br><b><b>ground engineering</b></b><br> Times have changed and pressures on development land have increased. Greenfield sites have become harder to obtain and government targets require an increase in the use of brownfield and marginal land for domestic housing. Ground engineering for residential development has also had to change.<p></p><p>Ground improvement techniques such as vibro, surcharging, dynamic compaction and engineered fill used in conjunction with reinforced ground beams, rafts and piled foundations …