Link to join the event: Click here to enter the lecture (Zoom)
Synopsis:
In the 1960’s and 70’s, as we started to redevelop old industrial sites, no one really thought too much about the potential contamination that might exist below the surface. If they did, it was always aqueous elements that were considered and their effect on groundwater reserves. As land became scarcer and old fill sites were considered for development, the incidence of ground gases became an area of concern.
Gas membranes were developed in the late 1980’s and came of age in the early 1990’s. Essentially as construction membranes they were developed by and managed through the geomembrane sector as a result of the installation methodologies and manufacturers involved. This uneasy “marriage” has survived the 30+ years since, it has continued to involve many of the manufacturing and installation companies involved in the geosynthetics arena and successfully spans the construction / civil engineering divide. This presentation will describe the history of the development of this sector, its technical intricacies and in particular show how installation and CQA have been pivotal in developing this highly critical building safety related aspect of membrane design & installation.
About the Speaker:
Peter Atchison is a geosynthetic specialist with over 35 years’ experience in geomembrane and associated products. As a consultant he specialised in contaminated land issues and offers technical and commercial consultancy support in applications of specialised materials and services aimed at the sector. He is involved in both standards setting and advice to the legislative process through involvement in a number of standards committees. Peter also holds positions at the Confederation of Construction specialists where he is Chairman of the board, a Board Director of The Property Care Association; as well as the British Geomembrane Association (treasurer) and The Radon Council (Past Chairman). Finally, the Environmental Industries Commission where he chairs the influential Contaminated Land working group. Involved in BSI committees since 1987, Peter has also worked in CEN as UK principal expert on WG6 “Geosynthetic Barriers” and ISO TC221 “Geosynthetics” where he was elected Chairman in 2017. Peter’s influence was instrumental in the creation of an important BSI Code of practice, BS 8485, concerning the investigation and assessment of ground gases for varying development sites.
Link to join the event: Click here to enter the lecture (Zoom)
Leave a Reply