Oliver – Push Pile Foundation Underpinning
A 3-storey, 33 unit apartment building was experiencing movement and settlement on the entire exterior foundation as well as the interior bearing wall footings. The condominium group needed to have the foundation stabilized. We assessed the pattern of settlement and put together an Engineered Plan for Underpinning Remediation using our Proprietary Steel Pipe Push Pile Technology.
PROJECT GOALS
- Stabilize the apartment foundation’s exterior foundation walls
- Stabilize interior bearing wall footings
- Restore project landscape and interior finishes
- Maintain building function during project
- Provide an effective financing and payment solution to the Condominium Association
- Provide an engineered and guaranteed solution to the owners group
PROJECT CHALLENGES
- We found that the project site was an infill years ago with original houses being demolished and the apartment building constructed over the site. This meant that we encountered debris
- Prior remediation attempts had been done by other companies that had failed, creating doubt by the building owners group on an effective solution being possible
- Prior contractors remediation attempts now presented obstacles that had to be dealt with
- Lower level had 6 occupied units. We were required to remove flooring, cabinets and fixtures to install piles. Careful scheduling was required to accommodate the unit owners
- Especially the interior piles required had very tight access. In some cases areas the size of a closet were available for installation
- Interior footings were small, meaning weak, this created challenges with installation of the piles that used the footing as a “push fulcrum”
- Careful planning to maintain access for occupants was required for use and safety
OUR APPROACH
- We assisted in providing Condominium Financing for the project
- Soil bore holes were obtained, loads required were calculated, piles locations were engineered, piles were designed and a Building Permit was obtained.
- We contracted trades to provide for interior finish, flooring and fixture removal and restoration
- We put together a detailed schedule for the project to manage and perform all work
- The exterior was completed during the summer and fall with the interior being done over the winter. In total 259 piles were installed for the project
- All installed piles were installed, loaded and loads confirmed through a load testing process
- All exterior and interior areas were fully restored
- A comprehensive Engineered Turnover Package was supplied to the client and required City Schedules completed for the building permit and project
