Helical Piles: Out with the New, in with the Old

Though the concept of urbanization accelerates the cities we live in, a resurgence in the restoration of heritage buildings is still very much alive. Located in Toronto’s busy downtown, 642 King St. W. is a 30,000 ft² four-storey, restored brick and beam building of mixed office and retail space.

The overall rehabilitation of the structure includes:

• replacing structural elements for new loading and fire rating requirements
• building additions for new entrances and stairwells
• new mechanical, electrical and life-safety systems.
  

Ontario, Canada's Distributor of Chance helical piles, EBS Geostructural, contributed to the restoration by providing Chance helical piles to support the new loading of the structure.

👉  Read about using helical piles for historic structures

The original structure was constructed in 1894 and renovated in the early 1990’s. The rehabilitation of the multi-level facility posed a specific set of challenges that required structural support. Conventional underpinning and shallow footings were ruled out due to the new high-load requirements and difficult soil conditions. Adjacent structures and limited access made other deep foundations economically impractical.

Image courtesy of Urban Toronto

Helical piles can be installed with small installation equipment. No vibrations are produced and minimal spoils are generated. Because of these characteristics, installers were able to utilize helical piles in the congested city center without damage to the historic structure or its neighboring buildings.

EBS designed and installed 88 Chance helical piles with load capacities of 200kN ULS (45 kip) in compression.

Hand-held portable equipment was utilized to install the helical piles as tracked equipment was too large for the entrances of the facility. The project was successfully completed thanks to an economical helical pile solution that addressed the various structural concerns.

Contact your local distributor to make your historic renovation a reality with helical piles.

Image courtesy of Urban Toronto