Share:

As one of the largest geotechnical and structural specialty services companies in the United States, The Dwyer Company has a history of completing high-profile projects with quality results. One such example is the MRI Research Facility at Ohio State University in Columbus. That project is an excellent case study of the company’s work in shoring, underpinning, shotcrete, and foundation repair.

H.C. Nutting of Columbus recommended The Dwyer Company to the structural engineer who had been tasked with renovating an existing building on campus, transforming it from a garage into a medical facility. The team began by designing underpinning to support the new foundation. After engineering the pieces, their crew installed 39 push piers, 40 helix tie-backs, and 46 helix piers. The job was successfully completed Jan. 15, 2005, but it wasn’t without its challenges.

underpinningAccording to a project report by Howard A. Perko, Ph.D., P.E., of Secure Engineering Companies in Fort Collins, CO, those challenges included “excavation along existing shallow footing foundations, construction inside the existing medical research center building, weak soils and shallow ground water conditions, zero tolerance for noise and vibration, and a fast-paced construction schedule.”

The Dwyer Company’s crew overcame these obstacles by underpinning the foundation using hydraulically driven steel push piers. Shoring for excavation purposes involved a finite element plate analysis and was achieved by the implementation of helical tieback anchors and reinforced shotcrete facing. Possible buckling of the steel push piers was taken into account, but none occurred. As Perko noted, the project was completed on time, safely, and within budget.

The Ohio State University project illustrates why The Dwyer Company has a solid reputation for delivering quality work on commercial and residential projects of all sizes. To learn more about their underpinning and foundation repair services, visit them online. Get a free estimate by calling the Lexington, KY, location at (859) 231-0998, the Louisville, KY, location at (502) 489-5438, or the West Chester, OH, location at (513) 777-0998.

tracking