Homewood Suites
The project involved the construction of the Homewood Suites hotel in a prime downtown location, strategically situated to provide easy access to city amenities such as the Tuscaloosa Riverwalk, Mercedes-Benz Amphitheater, and Parker-Haun Park. The site, with its unique history as a former landfill and manmade recreational lake, presented a set of specific challenges.
CHALLENGE
Building on a site that previously served as a municipal trash dump and the old Stallworth Lake brought forth several engineering challenges. The subsurface conditions and the weight of the proposed structure were significant considerations. Moreover, the presence of methane gas emissions from the old trash deposits and corrosive elements in the soil posed several risks, particularly concerning utility installations.
SOLUTION
To maintain the safe and stable construction of the hotel, our TTL team conducted comprehensive testing and recommended the implementation of deep foundations to effectively support the new structure. At-grade parking was constructed on geosynthetic reinforced materials with specific depths of earthen fill. Storm drainage infrastructure was constructed using high performance plastic pipe to reduce weight over the soft soils. Addressing the critical issue of methane gas emissions, a vapor barrier and sub-slab depressurization (SSD) system was recommended and designed. This solution was pivotal in making the construction of the hotel feasible on this challenging site.
In addition to these measures, our team observed and recorded the installation of the SSD system and the mass grading of the site. This approach was crucial, considering the site's history as a landfill, to mitigate vapor intrusion and minimize construction activities that may have adversely affected the structural integrity of the hotel.
The successful completion of the Homewood Suites hotel on this complex site stands as a testament to our team's expertise in addressing and overcoming unique environmental and engineering challenges. This project not only demonstrates our capability in innovative problem-solving, it also displays our commitment to transforming challenging sites into valuable community assets.