Profile:
Andrew is Director of the geotechnical analysis consultancy Geofem Ltd. and Assistant Professor of geotechnical engineering at Frederick University, Nicosia, Cyprus. He has specialist knowledge and experience of the practical application of numerical analysis tools in geotechnical engineering. He attained his BEng and PhD degrees from the University of Southampton. He was a geotechnical engineer (2000-2004) at the head office of Mouchel Consulting working on a wide range of projects in the Middle East, SE Asia and Caribbean, as well as the UK. Prior to this Andrew worked on a number of research and teaching projects over four years at the University of Southampton and while studying for his first degree worked as a site engineer on over 50 projects for AMEC Rail.
In October 2004 he moved permanently to Cyprus to take up a lectureship at Frederick University – where he teaches and researches in the field of geotechnical engineering – and also to set up Geofem Ltd. which provides geotechnical analysis services to clients mainly in the UK and Middle East.
Experience:
2007-present Geofem Ltd., geotechnical analysis consultancy, Director
The Tunnels development, St John’s Wood, London
Finite element analysis of demolition of disused railway tunnels and construction of new basement adjacent to live railway tunnels.
Grand Assembly Area, Dubai Drydocks
Designed and supervised monitoring of settlement of a large ground bearing slab during launch of a new 8Mt drilling rig. Completed 3D finite element analysis of slab structure in order to re-assess allowable loads on structure.
Pissouri landslide, Cyprus
Carrying out slip circle analyses and 3D finite element analyses to design slope stabilisation scheme and reconstruction of road.
FPSO Quay, Dubai Drydocks
Assessed design options for new quay wall, performed preliminary design of anchored sheet pile wall and checked contractor’s designs.
Aldenham Embankment Dam, Herts., UK
Assessed continuing monitoring data for embankment dam stability following soil nail stabilisation scheme. Performing back analyses to assess validity of scheme and postulated failure mechanism.
2005-2007 Freelance Consultant
National Annex to Eurocode EN1997 Parts 1 and 2
Prepared Cyprus National Annexes to geotechnical Eurocode EN1997 Parts 1 and 2.
Clinker silo, Vassilliko Cement Works, Limassol
Site supervision of concrete slip forming works.
Sewerage Board of Nicosia
Prepared soil testing specification for sewer installation earthworks and backfilling in accordance with new European testing and aggregate standards.
Chapelfield Retail Development, Norwich
Assessed ongoing basement wall displacement monitoring data and carried out back analysis using finite element analyses. Prepared geotechnical aspects of Health & Safety File.
RAF Akrotiri, Cyprus
Carried out building and civil engineering asset inspections and recommended appropriate maintenance.
British forces/UN base, Nicosia Airport
Carried out building and civil engineering asset inspections and recommended appropriate maintenance.
Mouchel Consulting Ltd. (and Mouchel Parkman), Consulting Engineers Geotechnical Engineer
New Providence Wharf, London
Analysed the effect of the construction of a riverside residential tower and hotel with basement car park on the underlying Blackwall Tunnel.
Chapelfield Retail Development, Norwich
12 months resident on site checking CFA piling, bored piling, plunge columns, ground anchor installations, pressure grouting and deep excavation works in centre of Norwich.
Checked contractor designs, advised on geotechnical and health and safety risks.
Investigated and checked stability of existing reinforced concrete basement walls to former department store for re-use in retail development.
Bromley High Street Service Tunnel
Carried out desk study, planned site investigation and carried out outline design for cut and cover service tunnel.
Nar-Ouse Highway Bridge
Used finite element analysis to design integral bridge and sheet pile abutment wall structure over river in East Anglia.
Chapelfield Retail Development, Norwich
Carried out preliminary design and finite element analysis of propped and anchored 15m deep basement wall in Norwich City Centre.
Carried out preliminary design of bearing piles and shear wall supports to basement walls.
Assessed risk and designed contingency measures for encountering solution cavities in the chalk along the basement wall or at bearing pile locations.
Aldenham Embankment Dam, Hertfordshire
Planned and supervised site investigation including installation of electronic inclinometers, extensometers and piezometers to monitor unstable embankment.
Interpreted site investigation and monitoring data. Groundwater modelling of embankment dam.
Carried out slope stability analyses and finite element analysis of embankment dam to identify failure mechanism and design soil nailing scheme to arrest movement.
Site supervision of soil nail installation works.
Interpreted post-remediation monitoring data.
Pulau Seraya Jetties, Singapore
Planned site investigation. Interpreted site investigation data and designed tubular driven piles for construction of oil tanker jetties.
Waterfront V, Kuwait
Designed by finite element analysis waterfront sheet piled wall with unusually close proximity between main and anchor walls.
St. Lucia landfill
Reviewed contractor’s earth bund design following its failure during construction. The dynamic effects on the earth bund of nearby quarry blasting was assessed during this review.
Feheheel Harbour, Dubai
Designed by finite element analysis composite blockwork harbour wall.
Assessed earthquake-induced liquefaction potential.
Office redevelopment, Bracknell
Carried out desk study. Planned and supervised geotechnical and environmental site investigation.
Interpreted site investigation data and designed CFA pile foundations.
Jumeirah Beach, Dubai
Assessed suitable dredging locations for sourcing offshore sediments for beach replenishment and construction fill.
Frog Island Waste Processing Facility, Rainham, Essex
Carried out desk study covering 150 years of industrial site use. Planned and supervised geotechnical and environmental investigation of highly contaminated, riverside site.
Interpreted geotechnical and hydrogeological site data and designed tension piles to resist hydraulic uplift of basements.
Interpreted chemical testing data and designed contamination remediation scheme.
Mostyn Docks, North Wales
Carried out finite element analysis of anchored combi-wall quay structure in very soft silty deposits.
Felixstowe Container Port
Carried out finite element analysis of wick drain installation and consolidation in soft alluvial deposits together with construction of extension to container port.
Fujairah Naval Base, United Arab Emirates
Designed rock fill breakwater including assessment of earthquake-induced liquefaction potential of seabed beneath breakwater.
Designed liquefaction prevention measures.
Pevensey Bay, East Sussex
Designed by finite element analysis double timber retaining wall forming part of beach replenishment project.
Dubai Festival City
Designed tubular driven piles in calcareous sands and sandstones.
M25 Motorway, jct. 21a
Designed geogrid reinforced slope repair to cutting failure requiring particularly shallow solution due to underlying capping layer to old landfill.
University of Southampton, Department of Civil Engineering
Research Engineer
PhD Research: Soil/Structure interaction of temporary roadways
Developed new experimental techniques to model traffic loads in a geotechnical centrifuge.
Developed new slip element allowing separation between structure and soil in finite element mesh.
Created 2-D and 3-D finite element models of soil and trackway interaction.
King-pile slope stabilisation, Transport Research Laboratory
Analysed and interpreted centrifuge test data.
Carried out 3-D finite element analyses of King-pile slope stabilisation in clays to assess the most effective and economic spacings and embedment depths of the piles to maintain slope stability.
Flue-gas by-products study, National Power
Carried out laboratory analysis of the interaction between flue-gas desulphurisation by-products from coal-fired power stations with bentonite clay to assess feasibility of its disposal in landfill.
1992-1996 AMEC Rail, Railway Infrastructure Maintenance Engineers.
Site Engineer
Permanent Way maintenance
Site engineer for various overnight and weekend track maintenance works, responsible for stressing of continuous welded rail, establishing design line and level, installation of switch and crossing components.
Permanent Way renewal
Site engineer for several ~1 mile track renewal weekends monitoring dig and ballast levels, establishing design line and level.
Freight loop retaining wall, Redhill
Site engineer during construction of reinforced concrete cantilever retaining wall for a new freight loop in Redhill, Surrey.
Track access staircase, Coulsdon
Site engineer responsible for on-site design of reinforced concrete personnel access staircase into a deep cutting near Coulsdon, Surrey.
2004-present Frederick University, Nicosia.
Assistant Professor, Geotechnical Engineering.
Responsible for civil engineering laboratory and library. Taught subjects include Foundation Engineering, Soil Mechanics, Geology, Statics, Structural Analysis, Introduction to Civil Engineering.
Research interests include: a) the use of geotechnical finite element analysis in accordance with Eurocode EN1997, b) the practical use of constitutive soil models in geotechnical finite element analysis, c) the design of double retaining walls, d) SPT correlations with shear wave velocity, e) the generation of SPT correlations for Mediterranean soils, f) the development of an improved temporary trackway section.
Other skills
User experience of the following engineering software: CRISP 2D and 3D, Plaxis, ANSYS, Rocscience Slide, Geosolve Wallap, Geosolve Slope, Talren, Frew, MPile, Stable, Alp, VDisp.
Publications
Lees, A.S. and Powrie, W. (1999) Interaction of clay landfill liners and flue-gas desulphurisation by-products, confidential research report for National Power plc, UK.
Hayward, T., Lees, A.S., Powrie, W., Richards, D.J. and Smethurst, J. (2000) Centrifuge modelling of a cutting slope stabilised by discrete piles. TRL Report 471, ISSN 0968-4107.
Lees, A.S. (2000) Soil-Structure Interaction of Temporary Roadways, PhD Thesis, University of Southampton.
Lees, A.S., Richards, D.J. and Skinner, H.P. (2002) Development of cyclic loading and moving vehicle apparatus. Physical Modelling in Geotechnics: ICPMG ’02, Phillips, Guo, Popescu (eds). Rotterdam: A. A Balkema, 2002, ISBN 90 5809389 1, pp 427-432.
Lees, A.S. and Papadoploulos, P. (2009). Geotechnical FEA with Eurocode 7. NAFEMS World Congress 2009, 16th – 19th June, Crete.
Lees, A.S., Rampuri, M.E. and Perdikou, P. (2009) Monitoring and analysis of the Grand Assembly Area, Drydocks World – Dubai. Proceedings of ICE Special Issue Middle East Construction, Nov. 2009.
Lees, A.S. and Richards, D.J. Centrifuge modelling of temporary aluminium roadways. Journal of Terramechanics. Paper under review.
Bowden, A.J. and Lees, A.S. Design and performance of the Chapelfield basement, Norwich. ICE Proceedings Geotechnical Engineering. Paper under review. |
