Fremont Hall Dormitory Landslide Stabilization-Video

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Video Summary

A landslide at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, California, reactivated in 2017 and struck a student residence, which had also been affected during its construction in 1957. Historical aerial photos and subsurface investigations revealed a complex landslide in Franciscan Mélange, worsened by past grading that removed material from the slide’s toe and placed fill near its head.<br /><br />A design-build team developed a stabilization plan that accounted for seismic loading and construction risks. Working from the top down, crews installed four galleries of anchored concrete walls across nine benches, plus an anchored soldier-pile wall at the toe. Horizontal drains, extending up to about 120 feet, help control groundwater. The completed slope was landscaped, and the residence’s courtyard was restored.<br /><br />Monitoring includes inclinometers, piezometers, and instrumented anchors, with maintenance planned under a five-year university contract. During a record wet winter, groundwater rose above the design level but then fell as the drains flowed effectively.

Keywords

Cal Poly landslide

San Luis Obispo

slope stabilization

anchored concrete walls

horizontal drains

groundwater monitoring