United Fire Group of Cedar Rapids, IA Increases Foundation Support
Challenge
New foundation elements were needed to shore up the existing United Fire Group (UFG) building in downtown Cedar Rapids. The existing foundation for the UFG building to be remolded were required for two reasons. Namely, the addition of a garage door below grade that will require additional foundation shoring and new construction in the adjacent property that will potentially disturb the soil that is currently supporting the existing UFG building that is being remolded.
Solution
8 HP350 HP350LS5H80-3850-G 8” – 10” Helical Piers with HP350BS30A-G Retrofit brackets with 30” sleeves were used to shore up the existing foundation to support a design load of 40 kips per pile.
The base of the foundation was exposed as part of the excavation for the new construction. Piles were installed to spin off against hard rock at a depth of approximately 25 feet. Brackets were then installed underneath the foundation and pre-loaded to a load of 1,000 lbs.
Project Summary
Design Specialist: James Palagi
Project Engineer: Clayton Bachelor
Foundation Support: Helical Pier System
