It was a daunting task to review the Outstanding Project Award submittals in a timely fashion due to the complexities and size of the projects. While all were extremely interesting and impressive, a concise project summary and inclusion of all documentation (from the initial geotechnical report to construction quality assurance) was key for the committee to accurately judge the submittal. Lack of supporting documentation, poor presentation of the data, and/or inconsistencies make judging very difficult and, in some instances, eliminate potential winning projects from consideration. The factors used for evaluation include innovation, difficulty of the investigation, quality of the geotechnical report and supporting documentation, success of interaction between the design team, owner and contractor, and social impact of the project. We encourage all firms to submit a project for consideration and show off those projects that you all struggled through — the committee is up for the challenge.
These awards were presented at our Annual Conference held at the beautiful Carmel Valley Ranch Resort in Carmel Valley, California. If you missed this conference, you missed an excellent program and a great venue.
2002-2003 Outstanding Project Award Winner
Port of Los Angeles
Pier 400 Phase I Building and Gate Facilities
Diaz Yourman & Associates
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The Port of Los Angeles Pier 400 project is currently the largest container facility in the western United States. This project involved one of the largest ground-improvement projects in the United States consisting of stone-column installation and Deep Dynamic Compaction (DDC) to mitigate liquefaction potential of recently constructed hydraulic fill. Rigorous regulatory oversight was required by the L.A. Department of Building and Safety (LADB&S), involving submittal of 33 reports with nine addendums, extensive pre-construction geotechnical investigation, test programs for stone columns, DDC, and post-construction testing.
The project was the first time that the L.A. Department of Building and Safety approved a combination of geotechnical and structural solutions for liquefaction mitigation. After LADB&S approval, approximately 96,000 tons of rock was installed over 3,300, 40-inch-diameter stone columns. Following column installation, 128 SPT borings and/or CPTs were to required to verify ground improvement. Conventional earthwork and shallow foundations were then used following stone column installation. DDC was used for the critical multi-story buildings. The DDC process consisted of dropping a 27-ton weight from 85 feet to achieve densification of the upper 35 feet of loose hydraulic fill. A calculated reduction of liquefaction-induced settlement from approximately 12 inches to two inches was achieved. This ground improvement coupled with mat type foundations was approved for the critical facilities structures resulting in significant cost savings. The project exemplified the successful interaction between the owner, design team, regulatory agencies, and the numerous contractors involved in the project.
Owner: Port of Los Angeles
Contractor: Tutor Salba, Inc.
Civil Engineer: DMJM,H+N
Architect: Tetra Design
Structural Engineer: John A. Martin & Associates
Ground Improvement: Hayward Baker, Inc.
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2002-2003 Small Budget Category Winner
USC’s North Science Building Project
Geotechnologies Inc.
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The renovation and seismic upgrade of USC’s North Science Building project, an architectural landmark of the University, was this year’s small-budget-category winner. Geotechnologies, Inc. conducted the geotechnical investigation with a limited-access drill rig within the close confines of an interior courtyard. Time constraints, limited budget (less than $5,000) as well as stringent requirements of L.A. Department of Building and Safety added to the complexity of the project. The retrofit consisted of the installation of a series of post-grouted micropiles for stiffening the exterior walls. This was the first approval of this type of foundation system by LADB&S. Approval was granted within four months of submittal. Very close coordination between the design team and building officials was critical to the success of the project.
Owner: University of Southern California
Contractor: Hamilton Construction
Architect: Landstrum Associates
Structural Engineer: Saiful/Bouquet
Other: Malcolm Drilling Company
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2002-2003 Honorable Mention
Via Cerro Rebal Landslide
David H. Lee & Associates, Inc.
The Outstanding Project Award Honorable Mention was given to David H. Lee & Associates, Inc.’s investigation and remedial design of the Via Cerro Rebal Landslide in San Juan Capistrano, Orange County. This large slide has been the focus of numerous geotechnical studies and lawsuits for several southern California geotechnical firms. The slide was identified prior to construction and included recent and a large ancestral landslide. Early grading in 1970 attempted to stabilize the slide by a series of buttress keyways below the large ancient landslide mass. However, within the park site, only smaller buttress keyways were constructed to stabilize immediate slopes. The slide was reactivated in 1997, moving at a rate of approximately eight inches per year, involving not only the park site but threatening downhill residences. Lee’s report provided a summary of the geotechnical complexities of the slide mass from previous studies and new geotechnical information regarding slide geometry, failure mechanisms, instrumentation, and analysis. The slide was stabilized using a series of high-capacity tie-back anchors.
Owner: Mesa Loma Vista Park Association
Contractor: Malcolm Drillings Co, Inc.
Civil Engineer: Norris Repke
Structural Engineer: William Fishetti/Malcolm Drilling
Other: Edick & Watt
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