Challenge: Peak experienced a number of challenges during the project, including a construction start in January. Due to continued wet weather and southern New Jersey’s sandy soil mixture, the soils continued to remain extremely muddy delaying the start of the project. Additionally, non-compactable soils under 1/3 of the building pad were a concern, along with affecting the location of a 280,000gal water storage tank that had height restrictions. Developer-provided steel from two other projects required careful design review as well as precise staging onsite and the scope also included construction of a waste water treatment plant.
Solution: Peak worked closely with the project team to alleviate the challenges presented. After 58,000cy of unsuitable soils were removed, and wet weather delays, soil cement was used to harden areas around the site. Non-compactable soils under the south 1/3 of the building pad and amended location of the 280,000gal water storage tank, which required a wider design modification to satisfy height restrictions, were mitigated with surcharges of 5ft of fill material placed on finished grade to encourage any potential settlement while monitoring stability. Simultaneously, building construction continued north of the surcharge, making a “U” around the pad perimeter until the work paused. At this point, the team remained in frequent communication to quickly remobilize to complete the southern section of the building. Furthermore, the team worked together upfront on detailed coordination to utilize the developer’s existing steel. The designer reviewed the steel details to determine what could be used and the balance was fabricated. Unlike arriving onsite in sequences, the steel was delivered synchronously, necessitating careful review for successful staging and installation. Uniquely, the scope also included the construction of a fully functional waster water treatment plant.
