CONTRACTOR SPOTLIGHT – GeoStructures, Inc.
In this month’s DuroTerra Dialogue, we spotlight one of our long-standing design/build installers who has been working with DuroTerra on projects using TRM’s Ductile Iron Piles for over 7 years. GeoStructures, Inc. was established in 1995 and provides design-build construction services for foundation support (displacement piles, micropiles, ductile iron piles), ground improvement (Geopier® systems, full displacement columns, RIC, etc), and support of excavation (drilled/vibrated soldier piles, tiebacks, etc). GeoStructures, Inc., a TERRATEST Company, operates along the East Coast of the U.S. from New York down to Florida. They offer customers a seamless experience of customized design-build services for projects in a wide range of industry sectors including commercial, educational, government, healthcare, industrial, residential, and transportation projects.
“We use our range of technologies to solve customer problems including settlement control of buildings, tanks and MSE wall foundations, liquefaction mitigation, support of walls and embankments, and support of deep excavations”, says Jason Hertz, P.E. – Northeast Sales Engineer for GeoStructures, Inc. “In urban settings, we often use Ductile Iron Piles combined with ground improvement on sites with tight construction tolerances and nearby buildings to create value on jobs originally considered for micropiles. DIPs are very easy to install and go in significantly faster than drilled micropiles.”
For instance, GeoStructures, Inc. recently used DIPs for a 9-story building in Brooklyn, NY to eliminate pressure-grouted micropiles and a structural slab. The value engineered alternative used DIPs as rigid inclusions to support shallow foundations and a slab-on-grade to save the owner foundation costs and significant amount of time in their construction schedule.
Installation of Ductile Iron Piles for a 9-story Residential Building in Brooklyn
Please continue reading for more information about another project where GeoStructures, Inc. used Ductile Iron Piles to support a new residential building in downtown Washington, D.C. on a tight site where access and vibrations were a concern. For more information on GeoStructures, check out their website at www.geostructures.com.
INTERESTED IN BECOMING A DUCTILE IRON PILE INSTALLER?
DuroTerra works with a wide variety of geotechnical contractors across the U.S. and Canada – from local contractors to international geotechnical contractors on projects of all sizes. Our engineering and construction representatives can guide you with product information, equipment assessment and setup as well as project feasibility and pricing. Reach out to us today to learn more.
PROJECT HIGHLIGHT – The Adele, Washington, DC
Ductile Iron Pile installations at The Adele in Washington, D.C.
The Adele redevelopment project involved the construction of a new 8-story residential building three blocks north of the White House. The original structure was razed except for the exterior façade of the lowest two floors. The 5,025 sq ft footprint site was bordered by buildings on both sides at the property line, the historic façade at the front and a nearby building to the back. The project team required a low vibration foundation support that could work within the very constrained site.
Soil conditions consisted of up to 8.5 feet of mixed urban fill underlain by terrace deposits consisting of loose to medium dense sand and firm to stiff clay to depths up to 35 feet. Loose to very dense residual silty sand and silt were then encountered to depths of 35 to 40 feet followed by weathered rock.
The GeoStructures design-build team worked closely with the project team to develop a solution consisting of grade beams and pile caps supported by Ductile Iron Piles. Series 118/7.5 (118 mm OD with 7.5 mm wall thickness) piles were installed through the fill, terrace and residual deposits to terminate on weathered rock to generate a 40 ton (compression) capacity. In locations where 5 tons of tension resistance was needed, a 220 mm grouting shoe was used with the Series 118/7.5 pile along with a center bar to construct an 8.5-inch diameter grouted displacement pile. Load testing showed less than ¼-inch of deflection at the design load. A total of 145 piles were installed to support the new structure. To learn more about the project, check out the full project summary.
