Since 2016, the undergraduate and MBA programs at UNC Pembroke have grown from 800 to 1,400 students. The need for a modern facility to accommodate the growth was paramount. F&R performed a subsurface investigation and geotechnical engineering evaluation to support the $36-million new School of Business. The new modern educational business facility includes a career center, auditorium, video conference room, computer lab, trading room, multi-media resource room, and collaborative lounges and study spaces. The facility is a two-story steel-framed building with dimensions of approximately 150 feet by 300 feet. It is situated between and just east of the Sampson Academic and Dial Humanities buildings on campus. The development area covered almost an entire block and consisted of paved and unpaved parking lots for students and staff.

Based on our findings, F&R’s geotechnical engineers recommended considering two options for foundations: under-cutting and excavating existing soft soils and replacing them with washed stone or installing an aggregate pier system. The team also made pavement design recommendations, including a combination of flexible asphalt and rigid concrete pavements determined to be best suited for the soils found in specific property locations.