Extremely poor ground conditions, car parking, overland flow issues and storm water retention presented many challenges which were resolved through consultation with local authorities and the client. The contours of the land made it very difficult to draw the site to meet the water quality requirements.

The original design involved extensive piling, but with such poor ground conditions, an alternative approach was needed to eliminate the need for piling below the main workshop facility. We provided a competitive and practical solution in the face of deep marine clays.

The resulting slab was designed as a ‘floating’ post-tensioned raft with an articulated perimeter raking slab to aid the connection to the main portal framed building’s piled superstructure.

The slab was designed to settle long-term in accordance with detailed geotechnical modeling.