This paper presents the MTK-GW method, referred to in Polish as Metoda Trybów Kontroli w rejonie Głębokich Wykopów. The proposed method is an authorial sequential qualification procedure developed for assigning structures located in the vicinity of deep excavations to appropriate technical control modes. The MTK-GW method is not intended to function as a building susceptibility index. It does not replace detailed geotechnical design, structural assessment, numerical modelling, technical inventory, field monitoring or expert engineering judgement. Instead, it provides an operational framework for organising engineering decisions concerning the level of technical control required for adjacent structures. The method is based on a sequence of qualification criteria related to distance from the excavation, location within the influence or monitoring context, excavation and retaining system characteristics, building or object characteristics, existing technical condition, predicted or measured ground movements, monitoring requirements and the possibility of reclassification during construction. On this basis, the assessed structure may be assigned to one of five technical control modes: T0, T1, T2, T3 or T4. Mode T0 refers to objects for which no dedicated technical control is required beyond standard project awareness. Mode T1 corresponds to basic documentation. Mode T2 represents standard technical control. Mode T3 indicates increased technical control and monitoring. Mode T4 is intended for objects requiring intensive control, individual review, intensified monitoring or special engineering attention. The proposed procedure is intended to support technical inventory planning, monitoring strategy, documentation management, prioritisation of objects requiring attention and engineering communication between designers, contractors, supervisors and infrastructure stakeholders. It may be particularly useful in urban and linear infrastructure projects, where numerous buildings, engineering structures, roads, utilities and technical objects may be located near deep excavation works. The MTK-GW method should be clearly distinguished from KIB-GW, understood as a Building Identification Card framework. KIB-GW is a documentation and data-organisation tool. Its purpose is to collect and standardise information about a particular object, including its location, structural characteristics, foundation system, technical condition, visible defects, photographic documentation and monitoring-related information. MTK-GW, by contrast, is a qualification procedure. It may use information collected in KIB-GW, but the identification card itself does not replace the assignment of an object to a technical control mode. The MTK-GW method may also complement broader authorial assessment frameworks. MKPO-GW/WPO supports the multi-criteria assessment of building susceptibility to deep excavation impact. WNO/STII supports the interpretation of settlement-trough morphology and irregularity. KIB-GW organises object-level documentation. MTK-GW provides the operational step in which available engineering information is translated into a documented control-mode assignment. The proposed method is conceptual and operational in character. It should not be treated as a numerical safety verification method or as an automatic classification algorithm. The final assignment of a control mode should always consider engineering judgement, available documentation, field observations, monitoring results and project-specific requirements. The original contribution of the MTK-GW method lies in the structured organisation of technical control decisions for objects located near deep excavations. The method does not claim originality of general engineering concepts such as technical inventory, monitoring, settlement assessment, structural inspection or expert judgement. Its authorial contribution consists in arranging these elements into a practical control-mode framework based on modes T0–T4. In this sense, MTK-GW provides an operational layer between technical assessment and practical construction control. It helps translate available engineering information into a clear control-mode assignment that can be documented, reviewed and updated during construction. MTK-GW Method — References 1 Kotlicki, W., Łukasik, S., Godlewski, T., Bogusz, W. (2020). Ochrona zabudowy w sąsiedztwie głębokich wykopów. Wytyczne. Warszawa: Instytut Techniki Budowlanej. 2 Wysokiński, L., Kotlicki, W. (2002). Ochrona zabudowy w sąsiedztwie głębokich wykopów. Instrukcja ITB nr 376/2002. Warszawa: Instytut Techniki Budowlanej. 3 PN-EN 1997-1:2008. Eurokod 7: Projektowanie geotechniczne. Część 1: Zasady ogólne. 4 PN-EN 1997-2:2009. Eurokod 7: Projektowanie geotechniczne. Część 2: Rozpoznanie i badanie podłoża gruntowego. 5 PN-EN 1990:2004. Eurokod: Podstawy projektowania konstrukcji. 6 ISO 13822:2010. Bases for design of structures — Assessment of existing structures. 7 Burland, J. B., Wroth, C. P. (1974). Settlement of buildings and associated damage. In: Proceedings of the Conference on Settlement of Structures, Cambridge. London: Pentech Press, pp. 611–654. 8 Boscardin, M. D., Cording, E. J. (1989). Building response to excavation-induced settlement. Journal of Geotechnical Engineering, ASCE, 115(1), 1–21. 9 Clough, G. W., O’Rourke, T. D. (1990). Construction-induced movements of in situ walls. In: Design and Performance of Earth Retaining Structures, ASCE Geotechnical Special Publication No. 25, pp. 439–470. 10 Peck, R. B. (1969). Deep excavations and tunnelling in soft ground. In: Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering, Mexico City, State-of-the-Art Volume, pp. 225–290. 11 Moormann, C. (2004). Analysis of wall and ground movements due to deep excavations in soft soil based on a new worldwide database. Soils and Foundations, 44(1), 87–98. 12 Florczak, M. (2026). MKPO-GW Method: A Multi-Criteria Classification Framework for Assessing Building Susceptibility to Deep Excavation Impact. Conceptual preprint / methodological proposal. 13 Florczak, M. (2026). MKPO-GW/WPO Indicators Addendum: Authorial Mathematical Extension of the MKPO-GW/WPO Framework. Conceptual preprint / methodological addendum. 14 Florczak, M. (2026). WNO/STII — Settlement Trough Irregularity Indicator as a Supporting Tool for the Assessment of Deep Excavation Impact. Conceptual preprint / methodological proposal. Author’s Note Magdalena Florczak is a civil engineer and an M.Sc. student at the Faculty of Civil Engineering, Warsaw University of Technology, specializing in Bridges and Underground Structures. The MTK-GW concept was developed independently by the author as a conceptual preprint and methodological proposal. The document represents the author’s own engineering and methodological work and does not constitute an official publication, study or position of Warsaw University of Technology. The information regarding the author’s student status at Warsaw University of Technology is provided solely for identification purposes and does not imply an official position, institutional authorship or formal approval of the document by the University. The MTK-GW method should be understood as an authorial operational framework intended to support the organisation of technical control decisions for structures located in the vicinity of deep excavations. It does not replace geotechnical design, structural assessment, field monitoring, numerical modelling or expert engineering judgement.
Magdalena Florczak (Sun,) studied this question.