Archon has performed several foundation designs for our commercial clients. These designs include retaining walls, building foundations and failure analysis.
The Tilting Retaining Wall:
An Architect had designed a large retaining wall that supported one side of a bank building. The retaining wall experienced unexpected lateral loading and had started to move and rotate. Archon was contracted to develop reinforcement to the wall that would stop the rotation. Because of the condition of the fill, tie-backs were not an option. Our solution was to add a reinforced section to the wall that would extend the footing. This stabilized the wall and prevented any additional damage to the building structure.
The Project to stop the Church from sliding into a creek:
Another engineering firm had designed a new church with pier foundations. The church was located very close to a steep slope that ran into a creek. Shortly after the church was built the additional loading on the slope caused the slope to start to shift, and fill around the existing foundation piers started to erode away, placing the entire structure at risk of sliding down the slope. Archon was contracted to provide a design that would save the church. Our solution was to design a large retaining wall at the base of the slope, which would stabilize the slope and prevent any further slope movement. Our solution stopped the slope movement and saved the church.
Foundation Design with Adjacent Building Risk:
Archon was contracted to perform a structural analysis of a theater renovation. Part of the project involved designing a foundation to support a new masonry wall. The challenge with this project was that the new foundation was very close to an existing church basement wall and foundation. The loads on our new foundation were significant. Our solution was to design a cantilever slab for a counter weighted foundation. This reduced the bearing loads on the footing that was adjacent to the church wall and ensured that no significant pressure would interact with the existing church foundation. Our design satisfied the local city requirements and concerns.