Project OVERVIEW
The destination building is designed as a 12-story steel and concrete hospital building. The foundation loads are substantial, ranging up to 3,200 kips. The subsurface exploration and engineering analysis indicated excessive settlements if the proposed structure was supported with conventional shallow foundations over unimproved soils. Two options for foundation support were provided: (1) a deep foundation consisting of pilings, and (2) shallow foundation supported on soils improved with vibro-replacement methods (stone columns). Ultimately, shallow foundation was selected because it would provide the required foundation support while being significantly more economical. The implementation of shallow foundation saved the client approximately 1.5 million dollars.
Part of the engineering analysis consisted of performing settlement analysis using Finite Element Methods (FEA). FEA methods allow stresses and deformations to be intricately calculated, thereby allowing the engineer to visually see, in 3-dimensions, the reaction of foundations and soil to applied loading conditions.
