2009 Hayward Baker Inc.

(www.HaywardBaker.com)

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Project Summary
Soil Mixing & Vibro Replacement
Liquefaction Mitigation & Foundation Support
Photo courtesy of Lydig Construction, Inc.

Northwest Detention Center

Tacoma, WA
150,000 sq ft Federal detention center building was planned for a filled, tideflat area of the
Port of Tacoma. The design included heavy
strip footing loads at 18 klf for a double-tee roof structure with an allowable bearing capacity of 2.5 ksf for
all footings.

Problem
Compressible fill, peat/organic silt and soft silt,
extending to a depth of 15 feet would cause excessive
static settlement for shallow foundations. Underlying
sands contained loose zones which were susceptible to
liquefaction. Contaminated soils required that any
foundation support and liquefaction mitigation solution produce only minimal soil waste.

Design Solution
Hayward Baker designed a dual-technology ground
improvement system that incorporated Vibro
Replacement stone columns (Dry, Bottom Feed) to
densify and reinforce the soil to support the building
slab and mitigate liquefaction, and Soil Mix columns
(Wet Method) to support the building foundations.

Construction

A total of 800 Soil Mix columns, 4-foot diameter,

were installed to a depth of 12 to 18 feet through the
compressible soils beneath all footing locations to
control static settlement. The soil mixing produced
minimal soil waste since the in situ soil was mixed in
order to construct the column.

Photo courtesy of Mark Koelling

Hayward Baker first predrilled the stone column locations. Where refuse was encountered, the general contractor performed over-excavation to clear existing
piles, concrete vaults and pile caps, and general rubble
fill left behind by a former building. The clearing of
obstructions was a daily part of the program.

Typical of rubble encountered

daily.

Owner:
CSC of Tacoma, LLC., Sarasota, FL

Engineer:
Rupert Engineering Inc., Auburn, WA

Contractor:
Lydig Construction Inc., Bellevue, WA

Architect:
Burgess Weaver Design, Seattle, WA

Top: Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma,

WA. This Federal detention center covers
150,000 sq ft and features a capacity of 700.
Above: Plan view. Soil Mix columns installed
below the strip footing locations reduced
static settlement, while Vibro Replacement
stone columns densified liquefiable sands
and reinforced silts across the site.

2009 Hayward Baker Inc.

(www.HaywardBaker.com)

2 of 2

Project Summary
Northwest Detention Center, continued
A total of 1,600 Vibro Replacement stone columns,
3.5-foot diameter, were installed to an average depth of
35 feet throughout the site. The vibratory stone column
construction densified and reinforced the liquefiable soils.

Quality Assurance
Real-time observation and analysis of all soil mixing and
stone column parameters during installation ensured consistency of the end-product.
Comparisons of Cone Penetrometer Test results before
and after stone column installation confirmed the
improved density of the sands. Static load testing of a soil
mix column confirmed that the columns can safely support all footings while controlling settlement to within
acceptable limits.
Soilcrete samples from the soil mix columns underwent
Unconfined Compressive Strength testing at an independent lab. These tests confirmed that the soilcrete achieved
the design strength of 75 psi.

Conclusion

Photo courtesy of Lydig Construction, Inc.

The soil mix columns and vibro replacement successfully

mitigated liquefaction and allowed shallow foundation
construction on a loose sand and debris/organic-laden site.
Hayward Baker teamed with the general contractor to
finish the ground improvement ahead of schedule.

Top: Section view. Soil mixing, stone column soil densification and
Pre- and Post-CPT test results. The vibratory energy imparted during the
stone column construction process mitigated liquefaction potential and
controlled dynamic settlement by densifying and reinforcing the
surrounding fine soils.
Above: Soil mix column field load test results.
Left: Vibro rig (bottom right) and soil mixing rig (center) working on site.
The ground improvement operation was completed on schedule.

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www.HaywardBaker.com
Hayward Baker Inc. 2008
Pub No: 53566