Project Description

Known as “The Gianna,” this new six-story luxury townhouse features five units spread across 10,740 square feet of space. The project involved the horizontal and vertical expansion of an existing five-story building on the Upper East Side. DRPILLA provided structural engineering services for the foundation and building design, as well as special inspections and support of excavation services which included temporary shoring and underpinning.

CLIENT
Michael Paul Enterprises, LLC
LOCATION
New York, NY
SERVICES
Structural Engineering
Geotechnical Engineering
NYC Special Inspections
COMPLETION
2017

Analyzing the Existing Superstructure and Foundation System

The only portions of the improvements remaining from the originally existing building were the bearing walls along the easterly and westerly sides. A completely new structural system, including both foundation and superstructure, was designed and built for these improvements. The cellar of the original building was extended to cover the entire lot at rear.

Designing a New Foundation to Meet the Needs of the Project

Based on our geotechnical report and findings, a new foundation system was designed to support the enlarged building based on the soil bearing capacity. The foundation design comprises a uniform three-foot-thick grade-beam / mat system which utilizes helical piles as point supports with a maximum service load of 25 tons per pile. The mat system allows for the transfer of column loads imparted by the reinforced concrete moment frame building above. The foundation system was selected due to the confined site, poor soil conditions and required placement of columns.

Designing a New Foundation to Meet the Needs of the Project

Based on our geotechnical report and findings, a new foundation system was designed to support the enlarged building based on the soil bearing capacity. The foundation design comprises a uniform three-foot-thick grade-beam / mat system which utilizes helical piles as point supports with a maximum service load of 25 tons per pile. The mat system allows for the transfer of column loads imparted by the reinforced concrete moment frame building above. The foundation system was selected due to the confined site, poor soil conditions and required placement of columns.