27 Jan Soft Soil, Strong Solution: Spun Piles for Peat Areas in East Malaysia
Peat soil is formed in water-saturated environments such as swamps, river basins, and low-lying coastal areas. As a result, peat soil provides extremely low bearing capacity, making it not suitable for shallow foundation. This highlights the need to explore deep foundation solutions that can safely transfer structural loads to more competent soil layers beneath the peat, such as spun piles.
Foundation Challenges in Peat Soil
Due to its high organic content, extreme compressibility, and very low shear strength, resulting in significant settlement when a structure is being built on top of it. Bored piles, which involve drilling a hole and filling it with concrete on-site, will face challenges in containing wet concrete in its intended position due to lack of lateral support from peat soil, potentially leading to instability or collapse of the borehole walls. In such challenging conditions, driven pre-cast piles provide a more suitable solution.
Why Spun Piles Ideal for Peat Soil
Precast piles, such as spun piles, that penetrate through the peat layer into firmer soil strata are generally preferred over bored piles. These piles are a reliable and effective solution for peat soil, as they are installed by driving them into the ground without the need of excavation and safely transferring structural loads to stable underlying layers. Spun piles—made of high-strength, prestressed concrete—offer superior load capacity and durability, making them especially suitable for peat soil areas.
ICP Piles in East Malaysia
Peat soil is a very common geological formation in Sarawak, East Malaysia. Sarawak has the largest area of peat soil in Malaysia, covering about 1.66 million hectares in low-lying coastal and riverine areas such as Samarahan, Matang, Kota Samarahan, Rajang, Baram, Limbang, etc. ICP Piles has been actively involved in East Malaysia, delivering reliable and efficient foundation solutions for a variety of projects across Sarawak and Sabah. With our wide experience in dealing with soft soil locations, expertise in challenging soil conditions, including peat and soft clay, we are here to provide technical advisory on the best practices of driving spun piles in these locations. Our presence in East Malaysia for projects like Rejang Hospital at Sibu reflects our commitment to supporting local growth, collaborating with consultants, contractors, and developers, and ensuring projects are built on strong, dependable foundations.
Building Confidently on Peat Soils
In challenging peat soil conditions, selecting the right foundation is critical for structural stability. Spun piles offer a reliable, durable, and efficient solution, while the ideal choice should always consider project scale, site conditions, and cost. With the right foundation analysis, structures can be built safely and confidently on even the softest soils.