GET provided the soils explorations and geotechnical investigation for the multi-million dollar church project and associated structures. The structures included a Worship Center, Chapel, Fellowship Hall, Education Buildings, Preschool Facility, Swimming Pool, and Kitchen Facilities totaling in approximately 190,000 square feet as well as 15 acres of parking. The project was developed on a 19-acre site previously utilized as a spoils basin for materials dredged from the area known in Mobile as Wragg Swamp during the construction of the I-10 interstate system. The church was constructed as a multi-phased project over a span of 11 years.
Due to highly compressible soft soils at the site, GET made recommendations for a combination of both a preload of the site and pile supporting the structures. GET developed a preload surcharge program for the project in an effort to reduce/eliminate long-term settlement that would occur from the consolidation of the underlying organic soils. The preload program minimized down drag on the piles as well as prevented future settlement of the fills soils required for the site development. Wick drains were utilized to accelerate the time required for the preload program and significantly improved the project schedule. This approach significantly reduced the total length and number of piles required for the project resulting in substantial cost savings.
The asphalt concrete parking lot was underlain with a combination of geo-synthetic fabric and geogrid soil reinforcement. GET performed the construction materials testing services for the project which included preload settlement monitoring, pile installation monitoring, field density testing, field and laboratory concrete testing and provided professional engineering services during project construction.
Mobile, Alabama