Ground-up multi-family residential (MFR) construction has experienced some financial headwinds due to inflated interest rates and building costs. Money is being spent differently in some cases, with Owners sometimes shifting resources to value upgrades for existing structures. We are also noticing signs of a recovery to ground-up construction, which is great to see! Regardless of what the MFR market has in store for us in the coming months, we are ready to provide solutions to your project’s geotechnical challenges. Below are some featured MFR projects, including solutions for existing structures and ground-up construction.
Clare Avenue Condominiums – Compaction Grouting
The Clare Avenue project consisted of an existing, occupied, five-story, 34-unit condominium building. The northern portion of the structure had experienced significant settlement over the years as was evident based on cracks in the brick façade, cracks in the floor slab, and jammed doors and windows. We designed and installed Compaction Grout Columns to underpin and stabilize the structure. Read more.
Peterborough Street Apartments – Ductile Iron Piles
This redevelopment in the Fenway District of Boston included the construction of a five-story apartment building immediately adjacent to existing three- to four-story residences. Soil conditions included a relatively soft and compressible clay layer extending to a depth of about 175 feet where bedrock was encountered. Steel H-piles driven to bedrock were initially considered by the design team, but faced some logistical and scheduling challenges given vibration concerns and the relatively tight/constrained site conditions. Ductile Iron Piles were selected as a more cost-effective, low-vibration, and faster pile alternative. Read more.
Residences at River’s Edge – Geopier® RAP and Rigid Inclusion Ground Improvement
The River’s Edge project consisted of a new five-story building and a four-story precast garage. Soil conditions included about 15 feet of unsuitable fill over up to 12 feet of soft organic soils overlying natural marine sand, a thick marine clay layer, glacial soils, and bedrock. Helical design and installed more than 2,000 ground improvement elements for foundation support and provided substantial cost savings over other alternatives such as removal/replacement and piles. Read more.
170 West Broadway – Secant Pile Wall Earth Retention
This project consisted of a new 12,750 SF footprint building with a basement and “zero-lot-line” conditions with abutting properties. Protection of existing structures was paramount, and access for construction equipment and staging was extremely limited. We designed and built a secant pile excavation support system that not only directly addressed all of the subsurface and zero-lot-line challenges, but also served as the permanent structural basement foundation wall system. Read more.
