Geotechnical Control Office

The Geotechnical Engineering Control Office (GEO) is responsible for a wide range of geotechnical engineering activities related to the safe and economic utilization and development of land. It is one of seven constituent offices of the Civil Engineering and Development Department of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

The GEO is under the direction of the Head of the GEO and is divided into the Island Branch, Mainland Branch, Planning and Standards Branch and Landslip Preventive Measures Branch, each under the direction of a Deputy Head. The operational unit is the Division, of which there are eleven, each headed by a Chief Geotechnical Engineer. A Division typically comprises four Sections composed of one Senior Geotechnical Engineer and three or more Geotechnical Engineers together with supporting technical and clerical staff. 

One of GEO's major slope safety regulatory functions is to check the design of earthworks to ensure they meet current safety standards. A comprehensive geotechnical control system has been established and the scope of checking covers the design of the geotechnical aspects of all building developments and civil engineering works and the standards of site supervision. Geotechnical checking is exercised largely through the three District Divisions, i.e.Island Division, Mainland East Division and Mainland West Division. They check the adequacy of site formation works, slope upgrading works, earth retaining structures and deep excavations that are designed and constructed by the private sector, public authorities and government departments.