Rumfish Aquarium
The Problem:
The Guy Harvey Outpost in St. Pete Beach, Florida added a new attraction, the Rumfish Grill, by converting an existing commercial site into the restaurant. But, there was a major obstacle – transforming a 40'x15' existing atrium into a large aquarium. The site of the atrium was fully enclosed by four walls with buried water lines below. The massive 40'x12'x12' tank needed a deep foundation system that could bear the weight of 33,500 gallons of water and be completely stable, or the tank would leak. This would require a deep foundation system capable of supporting a load over 234,500 pounds, resist future shifting and be installed in a limited access area with no spoils created.
The Solution:
Access was provided by cutting a hole through an adjacent building’s parking garage. Twenty-seven CHANCE® Helical Piers were installed with a mini-excavator. In addition to solving the access problem, using CHANCE® Helical Piers had two other primary advantages in this situation. First, it limited the amount of vibration & noise experienced by the surrounding buildings. Second, installation was quick, the 27 helical pier installation began on February 3rd and was completed two days later. Because CHANCE® Helical Piers do not require cure time and can be loaded instantly, the concrete slab was poured directly after the helical pile installation.
Technical Description:
- CHANCE® Helical Piers (27 ea.)
- Helix Configuration: 8”/10”/12” helices
- Shaft Material Type: Combination piers with 1.5” solid square shaft lead sections and 2-7/8” OD, SCH 80 pipe shaft plain extensions.
Length:
- Avg. 15 ft. Below grade
Loads:
- 30 Kips working / 60 Kip ultimate per pier