Our departments

 

The SGI acts as a Governmental expert body in aspects regarding landslides in order to reduce the community’s risks in the geotechnical field.

There are four technical departments:

• Geotechnical Design and Landslide Safety
• Land Use Planning and Climate Adaptation
• Environmental Engineering
• Geomaterials and Modelling

Geotechnical Design and Landslide Safety

The SGI acts as a Governmental expert body in aspects regarding landslides in order to reduce the community’s risks in the geotechnical field. The department of Geotechnical Design and Landslide Safety focuses on developing and improving landslide risk analysis and mapping. Hydrogeology is an important focus along with field and laboratory investigations resulting in information on soil behaviour. GIS is of great assistance in a lot of the work performed within these areas at the institute. The department takes part in monitoring the stability in the Göta River Valley.

Both research and consulting is performed at the department. Research within geotechnical design is centred around the following areas:

• Foundations (mainly in soft soil but to some extent also in rock)
• Soil stabilisation (particularly in fine-grained soils and sediments)
• Landslide Engineering and remedial measures.
• Maintenance and reuse (including drainage of roads and railroad embankments)
• Computational methods and models (implementation and development of advanced calculation methods for geotechnical and environmental geotechnical applications)

 

Land Use Planning and Climate Adaptation 

We provide risk and vulnerability analyses for natural hazards in a changing climate to public and local authorities, county administrative boards and industry.

Our national responsibility regarding coastal erosion includes support to authorities, coordination of societal interests and knowledge development.

We provide review support and perform development studies of various geotechnical issues involving rock mechanics.

The following research and development areas are central:

• Natural hazards (landslides, rock falls, debris flows, erosion, and consequences of flooding)  and ground movements (including coastal erosion and subsidence)
• Climate adaptation (including geotechnical implications of climate change, as well as planning and adaptation of infrastructure and buildings).
• Tools for decision support (including risk analysis and management)
• Transport of contaminated sediments
• Subsidence in silt soils

 

Environmental Engineering

Our broad experience of contaminated sites, re-use of by-products, landfill and land development allow us to provide clients in both the private and municipal/government sectors with expert advisory in these areas. We also have a national responsibility to implement new knowledge and evaluate research results in practical work within these areas. The following working areas are central at the department:

• Disposal technologies
• Contaminated land including environmental law
• Re-use of by-products
• Ground radon
• Environmental chemistry
  

Research within ground contamination and remediation includes developing and implementing new investigation and remediation methods. The following working areas are central:

• Better and more cost-effective investigation methods (field and laboratory methods, investigation methodology and reporting methods)
• Risk assessment and management (methodology, increased knowledge of input data, distribution, mechanisms and models for contaminant transport)
• Measurement techniques (in situ and ex situ methods as alternatives to dig and dump – methods and design)
• Landfill engineering (including environmental-geotechnical and geotechnical aspects)

 

Geomaterials and Modelling

The areas of expertise include characterization of soil, waste and construction products, soil mechanics, modelling, environmental chemistry and microbiology.   

 

Research within geomaterials and modelling is focused on:

• Field and laboratory methods (including development, validation and implementation)
• Material properties and modelling (theory and models of physical and geochemical properties and processes)
• Material modification