Design-Built Permanent Soil

Nail Retaining Wall and Building

Foundations at the University of
Connecticut Health Center
Ulrich La Fosse, P.E.
GeoDesign, Inc.
Middlebury, CT
New York, NY
Windsor, VT

September 13, 2013

SITE

Site Locus

Bridging Documents
Foundations and Wall Types

ACC Building Drilled Shafts

Garage Spread Footings

Site Wall Behind Garage

Temporary SOE
Buttress Type Concrete Gravity Wall
Heights up to 55 feet & 450 feet long

GRAVITY WALL
24-Ft

Section

15-Ft
500-Ft

Bridging Docs Retaining Wall - Plan

GRAVITY WALL

Bridging Docs Retaining Wall - Section

TEMPORARY
SOE WALL

CONCRETE
GRAVITY
WALL

Bridging Docs Temporary SOE & Wall

Alternate Design Goals

Accelerate Construction

Eliminate work

Achieve economies

Meet Owner Criteria

Alternate Design Concept

Combine Temporary & Permanent

Support of Excavation
Replace Drilled Shafts with shallow
Foundations (ACC)
Maximize Foundation Pressures
(Garage & ACC)

Retaining Wall
Design Considerations

Sparse Subsurface Data

Very Tight Schedule for Design
Tall Wall (up to 55 feet High)
Wall Surcharge (1.5H:1V slope and
Road)
Bridge Abutment Loading
Combine Temporary & Permanent
Support of Excavation

SITE

Surficial Geology

Retaining Wall
Construction Considerations

Sparse Subsurface Data

Tall Wall (up to 55 feet)
Wall Surcharge (1.5H:1V slope and
Road)
Bridge Abutment Loading
Combine Temporary & Permanent
Support of Excavation

EXISTING 2H:1V SLOPE

Main Road and Traffic Surcharge

STEEP SLOPE ABOVE WALL

Retaining Wall
Performance Considerations

Must Limit Movement

Permanent Wall Considerations

Wall Finish Varying Opinions

Alternate Design Considerations

ACC Building

High Bearing Pressures Desirable

Variable Soil Conditions
Unsuitable Fill, over
Moderately dense Glacial Till, over
Dense to very Dense Till

Reworked Site Possible unexpected

variations and organics

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Permanent Soil Nail Wall

Design

Partial Soil Wall Nail Plan

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Typical Soil Nail Wall - Section

Typical Soil Nail Wall - Section

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Typical Soil Nail Wall - Section

Typical Soil Nail Wall - Section

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Typical Soil Nail Wall - Section

Partial Soil Nail Wall Elevation

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CAPACITY OF TEMPORARY
FACING IS NEGLECTED IN FINAL DESIGN

Soil Nail Wall Detailed Section

Start of Wall Construction

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DCP Soil Nails

and Temporary Shotcrete
Wall Facing

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SLOUGHING SOILS

IT IS IMPERATIVE TO BE ABLE TO CONTROL WATER and SOILS

MUST BE ABLE TO STAND UNTIL SHOTCRETE HAS BEEN APPLIED

DRAINAGE, DRAINAGE, AND MORE DRAINAGE!

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A DCP SURPRISE!

A SIMPLE SOLUTION TO THE VEXING

PROBLEM OF LACK OF DCP AT TOP OF NAIL

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ANOTHER SURPRISE
AN UNEXPECTED STUMP DUMP!

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Installation of Reinforcement for

Final Shotcrete Wall Facing

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Application of Final Shotcrete

Wall Facing

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Night Work to Meet

Project Schedule

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Completed Wall

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Micropile-Supported
Bridge Abutment
Directly Behind
Permanent Soil Nail Wall

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Footing Preparation
at ACC Building

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Thank You!
Questions?

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