Project Description
Vicinitas Hall comprises 68 units of affordable and supportive housing located in the East Tremont community in the Bronx. This seven-story 50,000-square-foot residential project was funded by the NYC Department of Housing, Preservation, and Development, and sponsored by the Lantern Organization. DRPILLA provided comprehensive geotechnical analysis and design of the deep foundations and structural system for the new masonry wall and concrete-slab building.
CLIENT
Lantern Organization
LOCATION
Bronx, NY
SERVICES
Structural Engineering
Geotechnical Engineering
COMPLETION
2011
COST
$14 million

Designing Deep Foundations in Difficult Soil Conditions
The design of foundations requires in-depth knowledge of the load that will be transmitted by the superstructure and the geological conditions that will support the foundation system. In this case, the existing saw-tooth patterned bedrock created challenging properties that required the foundation design to be divided into two systems comprised of spread footings and deep concrete pile foundations. To avoid potential damages due to differential settlement at the interface of the two systems, an expansion joint was built and incorporated throughout the entire seven-story building.
Structural System Performance
The elevator and stair cores are structural components that contribute to the lateral strength of the building. The exterior wall system of the building serves in bearing and acts as perforated shear walls to resist lateral loads.


Structural System Performance
The elevator and stair cores are structural components that contribute to the lateral strength of the building. The exterior wall system of the building serves in bearing and acts as perforated shear walls to resist lateral loads.