Virginia Commonwealth University – Monroe Park Campus Dormitory and Parking Garage
Richmond, VA
DESCRIPTION
The project consisted of a four-story, 204,000 sf mixed use building, and a four-story, 230,000 sf precast parking garage.
CHALLENGE
The subsurface profile of the site consists of 5 to 20 ft of uncontrolled, loose rubble fill as well as very loose to dense coastal plain sandy clay soils which extends to a highly over-consolidated Miocene Clay formation of weathered rock. Several options were recommended included over-excavation and replacement, auger cast piles, and the Geopier® system.
SOLUTION
During pre-construction, the Geopier system was determined to be the most cost effective option for support of the structures’ spread foundations designed for maximum bearing pressures of up to 6.5 ksf. Utilizing the Geopier elements allowed the fast-track construction to precede in multiple phases as the project site was prepared. Additionally, Rapid Impact Compaction (RIC) was performed to densify in-place the existing fill soils for support of the dormitory slab-on-grade.
Owner
Virginia Commonwealth University - Richmond, VA
General Contractor
W.M. Jordan Company - Newport News, VA
Architect
Baskervill - Richmond, VA
Structural Engineer
Ronayne, Turner Brown & Associates, PC - Ashland, VA
Geotechnical Engineer
Froehling & Robertson, Inc - Richmond, VA
Products
