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question 10:
If the owner who hired the geotech company EnGEO to do the soils report is asking the architect to start designing the cabins in an adjacent site, would it not be the architect “standard of care” responsibility to tell the owner that a new geotech report is required for that site? But meanwhile why would it be wrong for the architect to assume site analysis and cabin location based on the information he currently has available? I don’t see a contractual obligation between the architect and the geotech that would allow the architect to request from EnGEO a new or amended report.
Regarding Question 8: why did the geotechnical engineers pick boring 1-B2 at 2.5-4ft to send a pH sample? Is there anything in the boring log that would indicate possible corrosive soils?
@iaa413 Great question! When it says the architect should “request ENGEO to amend or issue a new report,” it’s really reflecting the architect’s standard of care responsibility to ensure the geotechnical information is appropriate for the new site. In practice, that often means coordinating with the owner and directing that ENGEO provide an updated report, even if the formal request goes through the owner.
The key point is that the architect should not proceed with design based on a report that may not apply to the adjacent parcel. It is important that the architect ensures a site-specific geotechnical evaluation is obtained.
Hope this helps!
Kiara Galicinao, AIA, NCARB
Product Coordinator
Black Spectacles
Welcome to the Black Spectacles Community @sgentry! Thanks for writing in. Your question is more about typical geotechnical practice than a specific note in the report.
In many cases, engineers select samples for pH testing from shallower depths (like 2.5–4 ft) because that’s where building elements (foundations, slabs, utilities) are most likely to interact with the soil. Boring 1-B2 may have been chosen because it’s representative of site conditions in a key area or shows soil types worth evaluating. The boring log itself doesn’t always explicitly flag “corrosive soils,” but engineers may decide to test based on soil type, moisture conditions, or variability across borings.
Hope this helps!
Kiara Galicinao, AIA, NCARB
Product Coordinator
Black Spectacles
