Foundations for a new Agricultural Young Stock building in Newport, Shropshire amounting to 2312m2 floor area. The site is located within the grounds of Harper Adams University. The area was an unoccupied grassed agricultural field sounded by various other adjoining farming infrastructure.
Foundations specialist and geotechnical contractors Roger Bullivant Limited (RB) set out a programme utilising vibro stone columns to improve the ground. This was chosen as the most cost-effective technique to support the designed structure in the prevailing ground
conditions.
A total of 632 stone columns were installed over the floor slab surface area to depths ranging from 3m – 4m. The scheme was designed to provide a total bearing capacity of 125kN/m2 below the foundations and below the floor slab to 20kN/M2. The vibro stone column process densifies the ground which increases the bearing capacity and reduces the settlement potential of variable superficial deposits; this in turn makes it more uniform in structure. Settlement was predicted to be excessive on this site.
However, the densification of the ground utilising vibro stone columns controls the amount of settlement to the necessary tolerances. The stone columns were placed to support the following aspects of the structure; the footings, floor slab and the concrete apron positioned around the perimeter of the building. Once the vibro stone columns were installed, the ground around the foundations was reduced, which allowed for the construction of the footings.