Caton Ridge Building
(719 Maiden Choice Lane)

The Project

This project consisted of underpinning one end of an existing six-story assisted living facility constructed in 1989. For many years, this portion of the building had exhibited signs of settlement, such as cracking in the exterior façade and load-bearing interior walls. Despite multiple repairs, the cracks re-occurred and new cracks continued to develop, indicating ongoing settlement.

After a thorough investigation, our team determined that, due to the presence of unsuitable soils up to 30 feet below the existing foundations, severe settlement had been occurring since the building’s construction, so the foundations required retrofitting with push piers.

Push Pier Installation Process and Challenges

The original structure had masonry columns with large, concentrated loads and shoring was needed prior to push pier installation underneath. Additionally, all floors above the ground level remained occupied throughout the project, so shoring could only be installed on the ground level. Our team designed an innovative shoring system which enabled the structure to remain operational during the installation of the push piers.

The push pier installation process required close coordination between Ehlert Bryan, the contractor, the push pier subcontractor, and the shoring supplier. The team used calibrated hydraulic jacks to shore the structure and installed push piers simultaneously in pairs to avoid eccentric loads that could tilt the existing foundations. Wireless sensors helped to monitor any movement in the structure and shoring systems throughout construction.

Swift pragmatic solutions were needed to address challenges that arose to keep the project on schedule. Challenges included retrofitting damaged steel beams, replacing buckled existing masonry columns, and relocating push piers due to obstructions. Despite all this, the project was completed with minimal changes while the upper floors remained fully operational.