Industrial Spec Building: Poor Subsoil Solutions

The Challenge:

CCI was confronted with meeting an accelerated schedule requirement to construct a 500,000 square-foot industrial building while addressing poor subsoil challenges throughout the 56.2-acre site. The project site contains layers of wet clay and uneven topography. Solutions were needed to offer drainage, level the site, and improve load bearing strength, while remaining on schedule.

SOLUTION 1: To help reduce moisture in the clay layer, 7,200 wick drains were installed 15-feet deep on the north end of the building site. Wick drains are a plastic core wrapped in a geotextile fabric that provides a path for moisture to drain to the aggregate layer below. Adding drains was more efficient and helped the team remain on schedule since excavation and removal of the clay was not necessary.

SOLUTION 2: To level the site, 14-feet of aggregate fill was applied over the wick drain area. This accelerated maximum compression and water drainage from 24 weeks down to 3 weeks.

SOLUTION 3: To increase the rate of consolidation and improve load bearing for the concrete building foundations, 400 aggregate piers are being installed on the south end of the building site.

From the onset of our involvement with this project, CCI coordinated and engaged all build-team members to help develop solutions for the poor subsoil conditions. Along with an engineering team, CCI strategized innovative options for the difficult project site to ensure the scope, schedule, and budget remained on target.

Engineer: Midland Standard Engineering
Wick Drain Installer: Menard Group USA
Aggregate Pier Installer/Engineer: Terra Engineering & Construction
Project Architect: Zimmerman Architectural Studios