Grouting at Boston Children’s Hospital-Video

Video Transcription

Video Summary

John McKinnon of Hub Foundation described a grouting project at Boston Children’s Hospital’s Hale Building, an 11-story structure built on a congested site beside existing buildings. During slurry-wall construction, pressure from the slurry and concrete displaced nearby soils, causing basement floors—including the morgue’s—to buckle and fill with material. Work in affected areas stopped.<br /><br />Hub worked with the project team to develop a permeation-grouting program that stabilized the marine sands while keeping the grout strength low enough for the slurry-wall equipment to drill through. Crews installed tube-à-manchette pipes at 119 locations, then grouted the soil in stages using a cement-bentonite mix, monitoring pressure and grout volume. Two drill rigs and a separate grouting crew worked extended hours.<br /><br />The program was completed in four weeks. No further incidents occurred, and the slurry-wall contractor resumed work, limiting the impact on the overall construction schedule.

Keywords

Boston Children’s Hospital

Hale Building

permeation grouting

slurry-wall construction

soil stabilization