Soletanche Bachy.
Build Better Together.
Soletanche Bachy.
Build Better Together.
Why to work with us?
Established in Monaco since 1986, Soletanche SAM offers the most comprehensive range of geotechnical services on the market.
As a general contractor or specialist subcontractor, we put our local expertise and that of the Soletanche Bachy group to work on the design, construction and rehabilitation of all projects with a strong geotechnical component.
Our credo: to constantly innovate in order to meet the technical challenges of your projects while reducing the impact of our work on the environment.
Recent news
Testimonio II: a technical worksite of high environmental quality
On this emblematic, highly technical site, a wide range of ations have been implemented to meet the expectations and stringent environmental requirements of the project.
Our teams have redoubled their efforts and inventiveness to limit the environmental impact of our activities on various aspects of the project, including the following examples:
- Environmental preservation : Measures have been taken to preserve the two surrounding water sources, which supply the Principality with fresh water or are discharged into the sea.
- Reducing the quantity of materials required: technical studies have been carried out to optimise the works and reduce the amount of materials required.
- Reducing the carbon footprint: thanks to joint work by the materials laboratories of Soletanche Bachy, VINCI Construction and concrete supplier EMT, an ultra-low-carbon concrete was used, making it possible to reduce CO2 emissions by more than 6,000 t just for the concrete used in the diaphragm walls and barrettes (representing 1/4 of the concrete used on the project).
- Development and use of an electric Hydrofraise® to reduce the use of fossil fuels and consequently greenhouse gas emissions.
Cap Fleuri I: a highly technical project
At the beginning of 2023, Soletanche SAM began foundation and support works as part of the renovation and extension of the Cap Fleuri residence in Monaco. The operation involves demolishing the old building in place and, by means of major retaining structures, creating additional space (widening and deepening) for the construction of a new building. This was a particularly complex operation, as it was located in a major landslide zone.
Innovation: the 1st HC05GE on the Testimonio II worksite
Soletanche Bachy has put the first compact Hydrofraise® with grippers and electric power pack (HC05GE) into production on the Testimonio II worksite. The development of this innovation required design work and monitoring of the manufacture of equipment enabling the Dieseko electric power pack to be integrated into the machine. Results: the noise impact of the machine is divided by 4, i.e. 10 decibels less, and a direct saving of more than 60,000 L of fuel oil (i.e. 154 tonnes of CO2 eq.).
Soletanche SAM, committed to protecting coral ecosystems
Committed to reducing the environmental impact of its business through numerous initiatives and innovations, Soletanche SAM has been supporting the Coral Guardian coral protection and conservation association since 2020. Since the beginning of this partnership, 300 corals have been transplanted.
Innovation & Environment
Soletanche SAM is committed to reducing every day the environmental footprint of its activities. Through the deployment of an ambitious action plan, we are putting our capacity for innovation at the service of the environment. The plan is based on a number of priorities:
- Reducing our consumption of fuel and electricity, by developing electric equipment and rigorously monitoring our consumption.
- Reducing our consumption of cement and steel, by optimising designs and using low, very low or ultra-low carbon concrete thanks to our EXEGY by Soletanche Bachy solution
- The management of our waste, by encouraging recycling and recovery and ensuring that it is monitored
- Preservation of natural environments, by monitoring water consumption and supporting environmental protection associations such as Coral Guardian, which works to protect and transplant coral reefs
- Reducing nuisance (noise, vibration, dust) through rigorous instrumentation and control on our sites
Safety
The health and safety of our employees is a core value of Soletanche SAM’s worksite organisation.
Organisation, equipment, processes and techniques: individual and collective safety is integrated at every level of our projects. Our commitment, shared by all, is based on strict health and safety rules, but also on a strong safety culture shared by all Soletanche Bachy Group teams. We are proud to be exemplary in this area too.
Our main techniques
Soletanche SAM has a full range of techniques and processes to offer you geotechnical solutions tailored to your deep foundations, retaining structures, civil engineering, reinforcement and waterproofing projects. The most commonly used in Monaco are the following:
Micropile
Deep FoundationsMicropile
Micropiles are bored piles with a diameter of less than 300 mm.
This process, which is very useful for creating foundations and support structures, is also used to repair or reinforce existing foundations, as the machines used for its installation are of reduced size and weight, enabling work to be carried out within an existing structure.
Bored pile
Deep FoundationsBored pile
Bored piles, or LDA piles, are structural elements placed in the ground, generally used to create foundations for large structures or to provide support.
Barrette
Deep FoundationsBarrette
A barrette is a bored pile of rectangular shape or made up of rectangular elements. It is executed using moulded wall tools.
Diaphragm Wall
Retaining StructuresDiaphragm Wall
A diaphragm wall is a reinforced concrete wall cast into the ground. This process is mainly used for support and foundation work.
Secant Pile
Retaining StructuresSecant Pile
The secant pile technique creates a wall by means of a curtain of piles.
Anchor
Retaining StructuresAnchor
This technique can be used to limit the deformation of a retaining wall after excavation, to absorb tensile forces, or to stabilise slopes or landslides.
Grouting
Cut-off Walls and ReinforcementGrouting
This soil treatment technique consolidates and/or waterproofs soil. There are many areas of application: underground excavations, tunnel construction, soil improvement, etc.
Underpinning
Deep FoundationsUnderpinning
This reinforcement technique ensures the durability of an existing structure by modifying, strengthening or deepening its foundations.
Tunnel
TunnelTunnel
Soletanche SAM builds tunnels using the traditional methods of mechanised excavation and blasting, chosen according to the nature of the soil and the external environment.
Our projects
Testimonio II: a project with high expectations and requirements
Started in 2016, the construction work on Testimonio II was entrusted to teams from Soletanche SAM, VINCI Construction Monaco and GTM Sud, in partnership with Caroli BAT and Caroli TP.
As always in Monaco, this large-scale construction project presented exceptional constraints: very steep gradients, tight worksite area, extremely complex hydrogeology and geotechnics, and a very tight schedule requiring co-activities that are rarely equalled.
The entire project will include 2 residential towers with 348 flats, a 1,100-space car park, a 50-baby nursery, the International School of Monaco (700 students) and a luxury housing complex comprising 56 flats and five sumptuous villas.
The special works associated with the project included more than 22,000 m² of diaphragm walls and barrettes in thicknesses of 800 and 1,000 mm, almost 9,500 ml of active anchors, 2,200 ml of micropiles, 2,000 ml of Starsol® piles and almost 20,000 ml (2,450 m3) of injection drilling.
New Princess Grace Hospital
To support the diaphragm wall created in the 1st phase of the project, VINCI Construction Monaco entrusted Soletanche SAM with the construction of 255 active IRS anchors, spread over 5 levels, as well as 26 deep drains and 24 micropiles. This retaining structure is crucial to the complex phasing of the project, which must enable the Principality’s only public hospital to continue operating throughout the works.
In this critical environment, limiting noise pollution was a key issue for the Principality of Monaco. The Hi Drill® technology and the enclosure of the drilling machines were key assets that enabled us to significantly reduce the noise levels of our work for the occupants of the hospital centre, and thus scrupulously respect the thresholds requested by the contracting authority throughout the works.
Odéon Tower: an extraordinary project
Soletanche SAM built the foundations for the Odéon Tower, a 170-metre double skyscraper (the tallest in Monaco) supported by 10 levels of underground parking. The main works involved 14,500 m² of diaphragm wall 47 m deep and 800 mm thick, 14,050 ml of Hi’drill® anchors (7 to 12T15), 38 piles 28 m long and 1,000 mm in diameter, and 950 ml of micropiles.
The main constraints of the project were related to the complex access to the site, the heavily built-up environment, the small size and slope of the site, and the rugged geology typical of Monaco. Not to mention the complexity of the technical studies and the unprecedented resources that had to be mobilised to meet the schedule and carry out the difficult work ( barrettes more than 55 metres deep and 14 kilometres of anchors).
Monida Villa
As part of the construction of a town house, Soletanche SAM built the micropiles to support the structures to be constructed. A total of 1192 ml of micropiles were installed in 2 phases on very small sites. Soletanche SAM was chosen for this work because it used the Sonic/Hi’Drill® method, which drastically reduces nuisances compared with other drilling techniques, which was essential given the configuration of the site (work below occupied accommodation).
Contact us
Soletanche Bachy Group
Soletanche Bachy is a world leader in foundations and soil technologies, operating in 60 countries through a network of 80 subsidiaries and branches. The Group offers its public and private customers innovative, high-performance construction solutions for deep foundations, retaining structures, reinforcement, cut-off walls and civil engineering for all types of project, from the largest international structures to local worksites.
Through its subsidiaries, Soletanche Bachy operates as a general contractor or specialist subcontractor to design, build, rehabilitate and maintain infrastructure: ports, dams, car parks, metros, tunnels, energy facilities, buildings, etc.
