PROJECTS /DUNE BARGARA

Summary of the Project
The project comprised a four storey concrete and masonry framed structure with basement level car parking, three apartment floor levels and a concrete roof. The building was constructed fronting the beach and was to be founded into the loose sands that overlaid the volcanic boulders and clays at depth.

Situation
Westera Partners was tasked with providing civil and structural engineering services for the project. The main issue was to determine an appropriate foundation for the building. On other projects in Bargara we have been able to excavate down to the boulder matrix and found spread footings into this very hard material. However on this project the boulder matrix was too deep for this approach to be practical. Also the remoteness of the site meant that adopting specialised piling techniques would be uneconomical.

Solution
It was decided the most economical approach would be to adopt low bearing capacities and to design large spread footings to found into the relatively loose sands at the base of the excavation. As necessary these sands would be compacted to minimise settlements after construction. Conventional reinforced concrete slabs, columns and corefilled blockwork were the main structural elements of the building supported by the foundations.

Result
The approach adopted for the building foundations worked well and the building was constructed without incident on time and within budget.