Burland joined the
Building Research Station in 1966, becoming Head of the
Geotechnics Division in 1972 and Assistant Director in 1979. Burland also undertook lectures at several universities and institutions, including his
alma mater, Witwatersrand. In recognition of this, he was awarded the
Knight Commander of the Royal Order of Francis I of the Two Sicilies by
the Duke of Castro in November 2001, and awarded the
Commendatore of the
Order of the Star of Italian Solidarity (OSSI) by
Carlo Azeglio Ciampi in 2003. Burland was involved in ensuring that the
Houses of Parliament and
Big Ben were unharmed by the extension of the
London Underground Jubilee line. He worked on the construction of a large underground car park at the
Palace of Westminster and the stabilising of the
Metropolitan Cathedral of
Mexico City. Burland and his team faced numerous challenges, including understanding the complex soil mechanics and historical construction techniques of the tower. The tower, resting on weak, highly compressible soils, has increasingly leaned over the centuries, reaching a state of leaning instability which by the late 20th century had threatened to cause a collapse. Burland concluded that any attempt to disturb or strengthen the ground on the south side, such as through
underpinning or
grouting, would be extremely hazardous due to the tower's precarious condition and the high stress on its
masonry, risking collapse. In line with international conservation standards for valuable historic monuments, any interventions needed to minimally impact its integrity, preserving its history, and craftsmanship, with little to no visible changes. Burland's approach included both temporary and permanent stabilisation measures. Initially, temporary stabilisation was achieved by applying 900 tonnes of lead weights on the north side of the foundations, using a
post-tensioned concrete ring. This method, and accurate prediction of tower behaviour using numerical models, was crucial in stabilising the tower while permanent solutions were developed. The permanent solution aimed to reduce the tower's inclination by about 10 per cent, a strategy expected to significantly prolong the tower's lifespan without invasive actions like propping or underpinning.
Underground Car Park at the Houses of Parliament, 1972 - 1974 A proposal to construct an underground car park for Members of Parliament at Westminster had been considered for many years.
New Palace Yard was eventually chosen despite the engineering challenges posed by the proximity of significant buildings. The project involved constructing an 18.5-metre-deep underground car park in close proximity to the historic Palace of Westminster, including
Westminster Hall, the House of Commons, and the Big Ben Clock Tower. The design was heavily influenced by geotechnical considerations. Burland personally split and inspected
London Clay soil samples from numerous boreholes at the site. London Clay is an ideal medium for deep excavations, as it has good
shear strength and low
permeability. However, it is susceptible to volumetric changes depending upon its moisture content. Burland's analysis revealed that thin partings of
silt and
sand within the structure of the London Clay at New Palace Yard were problematic, giving rise to the possibility of flow through the soil. Burland identified that
pore water pressures in the clay were in
hydrostatic equilibrium with the
water table in the overlying gravel, and insisted on special measures to prevent the risk of a catastrophic hydraulic uplift of the excavation base during the construction.
Finite-element analysis was conducted to understand the behaviour of the structure and surrounding ground, using soil parameters derived from full-scale measurements in the London area. Burland and his team supervised a comprehensive monitoring programme, observing the movement of nearby buildings, displacement of
retaining walls, base heave, and the verticality of the Big Ben Clock Tower. Significant vertical and horizontal ground movements, extending more than three times the depth of the excavation, were recorded. The predicted and measured movements were compared, and their effects on surrounding buildings were analysed. the influence of
foundation movements on building performance near excavations, deep excavations and
tunnels,
piled foundations, foundations on difficult ground including shrinking and swelling
clays, the mechanical behaviour of
unsaturated soils, and the strength and stiffness of clays. In addition to university teaching work and research, Burland has made several media appearances to explain soil mechanics to a broad audience.
Critical state soil mechanics Burland’s PhD research on
critical state soil mechanics saw him challenge several aspects of the Cam Clay constitutive model for reconstituted clays, and led to his development of the
Modified Cam-Clay Model. ==Awards==