North America’s leader in specialty geotechnical construction Sponsored

Hayward Baker, Inc., a Keller Company, helps owners and developers overcome challenging foundation design and construction issues on a daily basis.

Hayward Baker is annually ranked the No. 1 excavation/foundation contractor by Engineering News-Record (ENR) and provides design-build solutions for ground improvement, earth retention, grouting, and structural support. Hayward Baker has extensive experience throughout New England and North America. Hayward Baker combines local construction experience with physical resources and technical expertise from New England and can draw on these same resources from around the globe. Hayward Baker has vast experience of identifying and constructing economical solutions while satisfying the technical requirements of each project, typical or unique.

As with all below-ground projects, the geology and subsurface conditions ultimately impact project price and schedule. A variety of geotechnical construction techniques exists to mitigate these subsurface challenges; however, site constraints and soil conditions often dictate which techniques are most appropriate for the construction project.

Many retail structures are low to mid-rise buildings often located on sites that contain undocumented fill or thick layers of organic/compressible soils. Typically, these poor subsurface conditions require a very expensive deep foundation system. As an alternate to an expensive deep foundation, ground improvements could be the perfect fit for retail building sites where economics of the building construction are key to the development pro forma. Ground improvements allow for footing and slab-on-grade construction, avoiding the requirement to construct structural slabs and pile caps. There are many types of ground improvements that Hayward Baker can offer, but the two most common technologies used in New England are compacted stone columns, known as aggregate piers, or cylindrical high modulus/controlled stiffness grouted elements, known as rigid inclusions.

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