Architectural rendering of the West Vue condo hotel provided to Geobest by the Ministry of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure VROMI.
CUPECOY--A new geotechnical report has sounded the alarm over the safety of the planned West Vue condo hotel project in Cupecoy, warning that construction should stop immediately until essential studies and engineering plans are completed. Engineers have called for an immediate halt to the ongoing deep excavation at the site.
The project, which envisions a 21-storey high-rise with a two-level underground parking garage, is set to be built in close proximity to existing residences and a school. The report, prepared by Dutch engineering firm Geobest at the request of a group of Cupecoy residents, concludes that the development poses “a high-risk profile” and lacks the necessary geotechnical, hydrological, and monitoring data to ensure safe construction.
According to the report, Geobest’s experts were only able to review limited information – mainly photographs of partial documents obtained from the Ministry of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure VROMI. No complete building plans, soil studies, or engineering analyses were made available.
“The information supplied is extremely limited and far below what is expected for a project of this scale,” the report states.
Excavation without soil testing
The firm noted that no soil investigations had been conducted, despite the project’s close proximity to an apartment building and a dozen waterfront town-homes.
The plans include a deep 5.5-metre excavation for the underground car park – a design feature that, according to the report, demands a thorough understanding of soil stability, groundwater conditions, and seismic risks. This is particularly important given that St. Maarten lies within an active seismic zone.
A proper investigation, Geobest said, should include at least 10 boreholes up to 25 metres deep, strength and stability testing of soil and rock layers, groundwater monitoring, and a comprehensive seismic assessment. The absence of this data, the firm warned, makes it impossible to evaluate the project’s safety or the potential impact on neighbouring structures.
“The construction of a high-rise building with an underground, two-storey basement close to existing buildings must be regarded as a high-risk project,” the report concludes. “The lack of all the above-mentioned information is unacceptable for a project of this type. As a result, the risk profile increases dramatically.”
No monitoring or emergency plan
The engineers also emphasized the need for a geotechnical risk analysis and continuous monitoring during excavation, including settlement markers, inclinometer readings for ground movement, vibration monitoring, and crack measurements on adjacent buildings. Such measures would allow for early detection of soil displacement or structural stress.
However, the report notes that no monitoring plan has been developed, and no fallback or emergency procedures have been defined should ground movement occur. “Any soil movement behind an excavation could result in damage to adjacent buildings,” Geobest warned, urging that a clear chain of responsibility be established before any work begins.
Call for due diligence
Geobest, the firm behind the report, is an independent engineering and consulting company founded in the Netherlands in 1988. It has grown into one of the country’s leading specialist bureaus in the field of structural safety, maintenance, and asset management. With more than 230 employees, the company serves a wide range of clients across the construction, maritime, industrial, and infrastructure sectors.
The firm has extensive experience with government agencies such as Rijkswaterstaat, for which it has provided inspection and maintenance advice for civil engineering structures including bridges, tunnels, and locks. Its focus on structural integrity and sustainable engineering practices underpins its work in evaluating complex construction projects both in the Netherlands and abroad.
In its final recommendation, Geobest calls for an immediate halt to construction of the West Vue until full soil investigations, geotechnical and hydrological analyses, and risk and monitoring plans have been completed and reviewed by an independent third party.
Public safety concerns
Residents in the area have expressed growing concern over the project, particularly given its proximity to existing homes and the lack of transparency surrounding the permitting process. The group says it commissioned the Geobest report to ensure that the safety of current structures and residents is not compromised.
If construction proceeds without proper studies and safeguards, the report warns, the risks of soil movement, foundation failure, and damage to nearby buildings could be severe.
