OasisLMS

Abstract:

Michael Culbertson, Keller North America, Inc., Wadsworth, OH, USA, 440-025-9444, mike.culbertson@keller-na.com 

Stephen Hill, Keller North America, Inc., Wadsworth, OH, USA, 440-025-9444, steve.hill@keller-na.com 

Keywords: Drilled Shafts, Aggregate Piers, Rigid Inclusions, Ground Improvement, Deep Foundations 

ABSTRACT 

The Sherwin-Williams Company, founded over 150 years ago in Cleveland, Ohio, has recently reinforced its local legacy with the development of a new three-building headquarters in the city. This campus includes a pavilion, a parking garage, and a 36-floor office tower. The unique layout of the campus, characterized by irregular spans between columns and the need to maximize the tower's footprint, necessitated a robust foundation system capable of supporting significant axial and lateral loads. In contrast, the two smaller buildings did not present such demanding loading requirements. 

The diverse design and loading conditions across the campus called for innovative and cost-effective solutions. By addressing site constraints and leveraging the geotechnical conditions, the project team developed a foundation system utilizing large diameter drilled shafts and various ground improvement techniques including aggregate piers and rigid inclusions.  This approach ensured the stability of the structures while optimizing construction costs. 

This presentation will delve into the design and constructability challenges encountered during the project including urban construction constraints and how adjusting the sequencing of the work and crew shifts allowed the use of two drill rigs on the site. One major highlight of the project was the drilled shafts with diameters ranging from 4-8 ft. Depths ranged from 225-235 ft socketed into rock.  One of the major challenges was handling and installing the full-length reinforcement cages for the 8 ft diameter, over 200 ft long shafts.   

The project included a large testing program which consisted of bidirectional testing, Sonicalipers, TIP testing, CSL, and bottom hole cleanliness testing.      

By exploring these topics, the presentation aims to provide valuable insights into the innovative solutions and practical approaches employed to overcome the geotechnical challenges of the Sherwin-Williams headquarters project.