Commercial Foundations Case Studies

 A United Fire Group Insurance building in downtown Cedar Rapids, Iowa was planned for a remodel and new addition. The existing building was a three-story brick structure with a poured...

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 had to be remolded...

Additions planned for an existing manufacturing facility included a large furnace and a 30-ton crane. Each addition would require its own foundation system, separate from the existing structure’s foundations. All...

A new blower building was planned at a wastewater treatment facility. The area chosen for the proposed structure was previously used as a lagoon for the treatment plant. The lagoon would be...

After the 2008 flood events in eastern Iowa, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) reevaluated the 100 and 500 year floodplains for the affected area. As a result, the University...

The renovation of a 15,000-square-foot building was planned at the Bowe Machine facility. New foundations were required at 39 new column locations and for a large gantry milling machine. A...

I.E.I. Barge Services planned for a new overhead conveyor system to extend from a proposed rail/truck receiving pit to two material handling buildings at the facility. The elevated conveyor system would include...

During a large flood event in downtown Cedar Rapids, an underground diesel storage tank was compromised and began taking in water. The owners decided to relocate the fuel tank and support it...

An equipment addition was planned within a three-story, steel foundry building. The equipment would be supported on four columns with an estimated service load of 200 kips per column. A...

Two cooling towers were planned within an open courtyard at the Rockwell Collins headquarters in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The near-surface soils were determined to be inadequate to support the 52,000-pound...

Palmer College of Chiropractic planned an elevator addition to the outside of an existing building near the location where two "wings" of the building meet. The 12-foot by 17-foot foundation...

An elevator addition was planned within the original Wilson Middle School building constructed in 1933. A soil boring completed outside the building identified mixed fill material to a depth of...

Within the first six months of construction, the northwest corner of a 1,600 square-foot winery settled approximately 3.5 inches. The area of settlement included a basement with foundation walls extending...

Two pedestrian bridges and two boardwalks were proposed along a new walking/bike trail. The bridges, 38 and 40 feet long, would span an existing creek while the boardwalks, 11 and...

Two overhead cranes and 12 heavy equipment additions were planned within two 120 feet by 205 feet, slab-on-grade buildings at a steel foundry. Soil conditions at the site consisted of...

A historic home built in the early 1900’s was experiencing both lateral and vertical movement as an adjacent 17-foot tall sheet pile retaining wall continued to lean down slope.  The...

The Eastern Iowa Airport serves nearly one-million passengers annually for the city of Cedar Rapids and the surrounding region. For 2012, renovations were planned within the terminal and baggage screening...