Trinity Church
City: Boston
State: MA
Owner: Trinity Church
General Contractor: Shaumut Design & Construction
Project Description:
A number of the 130-year old timber piles that support the massive structure had suffered significant deterioration since their installation and could no longer be counted on to carry their design loads. Schnabel Foundation Company began the repair work by carefully hand excavating around the pile tops. Temporary supports were placed beneath the huge granite block foundations supported by the piles. The damaged pile tops were then cut away and replaced with steel struts and the entire excavation filled with lightweight concrete.
Micropiles were installed in the basement of the church and around the perimeter of the building (20 ft below street level) using a special drill constructed to be used in limited access applications. The drill rig can be lifted in place by a crane and driven through doorways and hallways. The small but powerful drill rotated 10-inch casing through caving soils and timber pile obstructions to reach a suitable bearing stratum.
