Wake County Public School System embarked on the construction of a new $33M elementary school situated on an approximate 33-acre parcel of land in Morrisville, NC. F&R was retained to provide geotechnical engineering, construction materials testing and special inspections services in support of the construction of Parkside Elementary School (E50). The steel-framed, masonry building consisted of two, 2-story classroom wings and an adjoining 1-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, as well as the widening of Parkside Valley Drive and McCrimmon Parkway.
In order to 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 was used to eliminate the need to wait several weeks for the fill to settle prior to beginning foundation construction. The site preparation also included the installation of a French Drain system below the fill to convey groundwater, along with an underdrain system located 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 Inspections services included: soils and foundations; cast-in-place concrete; masonry, and structural steel. F&R was able to perform all services working under very unusual wet weather conditions over a fifteen month period while addressing and providing solutions for numerous unforeseen construction problems that arose throughout the construction phase allowing our client to achieve their construction goals.
