1080 Beacon Street
Brookline, Massachusetts
Total Project Cost: $5.6 Million

A FIRST IN THE UNTED STATES

1080 Beacon Street is a 7 story, 30 unit residential building in Brookline, Massachusetts. Originally constructed in 1909 the foundation was improperly designed and sat on untreated and overloaded wood piles.

Following significant settlement, cracking and structural failure SCIC was hired to retroactively install a new foundation to meet the design criteria and safety factors of modern day.

As a value engineering option SCIC’s drilling contractor utilized a foundation pile system known as expander body piles. Using this new technique the total drilling time was reduced by 50% and saved the owners approximately $1,000,000 in labor and material.

The design included:

  • Removal of approximately 750 cubic yards of soil to allow for new concrete and steel placement.
  • New 8′ wide and 4′ high grade beam beneath the existing load bearing walls.
  • A 48″ deep mat slab.
  • Steel beams supported foundations above underground oil tanks and elevator shafts where excavation was not possible.
  • 239 mini ‘expander body’ piles were drilled and inflated.
  • 7 helical piles were drilled.
  • Stiffening & additional support of existing steel columns.
  • Temporary relocation of all services and egress pathways.
  • Temporary demolition and ‘as was’ reconstruction of three condos and storage units.
  • Masonry & concrete facade and balcony repairs

Project Challenges:

  • The largest challenge for this project was the coordination and logistics associated with drilling inside an occupied building. When in use the rig produced approximately 80 Gallons of liquid spoils per minute all of which had to be separated and remain onsite.
  • This was the first project in the USA where expander body piles were used in place of traditional mini piles.
  • With exception to the three basement units the remaining 27 condos on floors 1-7 remained occupied throughout the project. This meant that the team had to protect, work around and frequently relocate all of the buildings utilities & services.
  • One form of fire rated egress had to be maintained through the worksite at all times to allow for trash removal and egress in the event of an emergency.

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