Visit Meg Lashley and others from S&ME at Tampa’s International Summit & Exhibition on Health Facility Planning, Design & Construction (PDC)

March 13-17, 2011 Tampa FL

More information about ASHE PDC

S&ME also provided construction materials testing and special inspection services for this project. These services included field density testing on the backfill placed for the below-grade cast-in-place concrete walls; reinforcing steel inspections for the foundations, walls, and slabs; and full-time observations during concrete placement, structural steel and precast concrete connection evaluations, and sprayed-on-fireproofing evaluations.

S&ME provided drilled shaft construction inspection services including load capacity evaluations (in the field). Providing our services in this manner allowed many of the drilled shafts to be constructed to a shallower depth that ultimately led to about $100,000 in savings to the owner. In addition, S&ME provided reinforcing steel (rebar) inspections that allowed the contractor to proceed with drilled shaft concrete placements without having to wait on the local building inspector. This was discussed and agreed upon with the inspector on the first day of the project- the inspector was well aware of S&ME’s capabilities and thoroughness of our inspections. We also had in-progress field reports available for the inspectors review when he did visit the site, and he was pleased. S&ME also provided rebar inspections for other structural concrete areas when the structural engineer’s representative could not be present. S&ME also provided proof load observations for a tie-back wall retaining wall and concrete testing of shotcrete that covered the wall; fill and backfill testing; asphalt pavement testing; monitoring utility construction during road crossings/closings at night and during weekends; structural precast plant inspections and field welding inspections of precast concrete panels.

Construction at Carolina’s Medical Center also includes expansion of the existing ICU (intensive care unit) at the Kings Street Campus. This project calls for construction of four new levels atop the existing ICU and expands the new addition vertically to 14 levels.

S&ME performed a comprehensive geotechnical evaluation of the site. The scope of our services included conventional soil test borings and coring of rock. Laboratory testing included soil index property tests and shear strength tests. The buildings were supported by drilled shaft foundations bearing on competent rock. The residual soils and partially weathered rock along the shafts contribute skin friction to the shaft load capacities. S&ME performed detailed lateral load capacity analyses of the drilled shaft foundation due to the relatively high wind and seismic horizontal loads. Other recommendations included underpinning of existing shallow foundations of adjacent central utilities plant and shoring of temporary excavations as deep as 15 to 20 feet.

S&ME also performed seismic cone penetrometer testing with shear wave velocity measurements and provided a probabilistic seismic hazard analysis and site specific ground motion analysis for seismic design of the 11-story hospital building. The results of these analyses saved approximately $100,000 to $200,000 on the construction cost of the structure compared to using the building code default values.

S&ME also provided construction materials testing and special inspection services for the Levine Children’s Hospital and ICU. Our services include welding inspection, rebar inspection, floor flatness, concrete sampling, reinforced concrete inspection and drilled shaft construction monitoring. Construction of the ICU expansion continues while the existing ICU remains in operation. Building vibration issues are carefully monitored during construction. Drilled shafts have been installed at depths up to 80 feet at a distance of less than one foot from the existing structure. With the foundations installed, construction of the ICU superstructure continues to be dependent upon access to the very constrained site and the form work of the concrete sheer walls, and proceeds in sequence with the children’s hospital.

Campus Improvement Project

The Campus Improvement Project called for demolition of the existing parking lots and one-story office buildings, and the areas regraded for future construction of the medical office building, parking deck and surface parking lots. The improvements project included construction of a large, cast-in-place concrete retaining wall that surrounds a new permanent detention pond on the campus. Previously wooded areas were regraded for future construction of parking lots. The site conditions were such that significant undercutting of plastic clays and other unsuitable soils were necessary within the proposed parking lot areas.

S&ME personnel performed subgrade evaluations, undercutting observations, and field density testing during grading activities and retaining wall construction. In addition, laboratory testing was performed on retaining wall backfill materials to confirm design parameters. The retaining wall design was modified based on S&ME’s laboratory testing. Our services during parking lot and drive area construction included proofrolling of the recycled asphalt pavement material (RAP) used as the base course and testing of the asphalt.

Medical Office Building and Parking Deck Project

The Medical Office Building (MOB) and Parking Deck Project consisted of the construction of a four-story, steel framed building, approximately 113,310 square feet, and a six-level, precast concrete parking deck, approximately 235,458 square feet. The building is supported on conventional shallow foundations, while the parking deck is supported by shallow foundations reinforced with aggregate pier columns (Geopiers).

S&ME personnel evaluated of the foundation bearing materials, observed Geopier installation, observed reinforcing steel placement for foundations, cast-in-place concrete walls, and slab areas, sampled and tested the concrete, observed structural steel and precast concrete connections (included ultrasonic testing of moment welds), observed masonry construction and grout placement operations, and tested the sprayed-on fireproofing for thickness, density, and bond strength.

Expansions & Renovations Project

The Expansions and Renovations Project consisted of the addition of five new areas to the existing hospital structure: an expanded lobby area, central energy plant expansion, emergency room addition, maternity center addition, and surgery addition. The structures are supported on conventional shallow foundations.

S&ME’s services included subgrade evaluations, field density testing, foundation bearing material evaluations, observations of reinforcing steel placement, sampling and testing of concrete, structural steel evaluations, masonry evaluations, and sprayed-on fireproofing evaluations.

S&ME provided drilling, sampling, and geotechnical engineering for a six-story hospital addition with a footprint of 90,000 square feet. Column loads for the structure were between 1,700 and 1,800 kips. The site is underlain by the Ottossee Shale that contains both limestone and dolomite. Due to the karst environment and planned loads, drilled shafts bearing on bedrock were recommended as the foundation type.

As the job progressed, it was determined that drilled piers were estimated at $2,000,000 over the budget for foundations. KSI Structural Engineers requested that a Geopier alternative be evaluated. S&ME, Inc. performed cone penetration testing at each column location to characterize the extent of the karst conditions, to develop a cap grouting program and to provide design parameters to Geopier for use in their design. The Geopier design and cap grouting program resulted in about a $1,000,000 cost savings as compared to drilled shafts.