Wake County Public School System (WCPSS) constructed a new $33-million elementary school on an approximately 33-acre parcel of land in Morrisville, NC. WCPSS retained F&R to provide geotechnical engineering, construction materials testing, and special inspections services to support the construction of Parkside Elementary School (E50). The steel-framed masonry building consisted of two two-story classroom wings and an adjoining one-story cafeteria/gymnasium, totaling approximately 114,956 square feet. Additional construction included two stormwater wetland ponds, a main carpool/entrance roadway, a separate bus loop roadway, driveways, parking areas, play areas, and the widening of Parkside Valley Drive and McCrimmon Parkway.
To help expedite the construction of the new building to meet the start of the new school year, F&R’s geotechnical engineers recommended using granular fill (ABC stone) for the first 10 feet of the needed 20 feet of fill in the building pad area. Granular fill would eliminate the need to wait several weeks for the fill to settle before beginning foundation construction. The site preparation also included installing a French Drain system below the fill to convey groundwater and an underdrain system behind the roadway curb at the toe of cut slopes.
During construction, F&R’s engineers, certified technicians, and special inspectors provided the following materials testing services: existing subgrade evaluation; undercut recommendations and quantification, field density testing; evaluation of foundation bearing grades; field and laboratory testing of cast-in-place concrete and masonry mortar and grout; floor flatness testing; adhesive anchor pullout testing; structural steel welding and bolting inspection; and observation of asphalt paving, including subgrade and base stone proofrolling, and asphalt density and thickness testing.
Special Inspection services included soils and foundations, cast-in-place concrete, masonry, and structural steel. F&R performed all services under very unusual wet weather conditions over fifteen months. The team also addressed and provided solutions for numerous unforeseen challenges, allowing our client to achieve their construction goals.