By Juan Lopez 0 Comments

New Cadet Barracks at U.S. Military Academy

Tectonic provided geotechnical, civil and structural engineering as well surveying, construction inspection and construction monitoring during the construction phase of this new $186 million, 287,000 SF barracks that will house 650 cadets.

Sited into the side of a steep hill close to existing buildings, including the historic West Point Chapel, the project required rock cuts up to 80 ft. high and nearly 150,000 cubic yards of rock blasted and removed from the site.

Tectonic performed value engineering of the original rock support design and provided recommendations to mitigate effects of blasting, including the development and execution of an instrumentation monitoring program and associated special inspections. Additionally, Tectonic’s civil engineers developed a construction plan for the shotcrete treatment of the rock face that had been scanned using 3D LiDAR technology by the firm’s surveying team. Surveying services continued throughout construction with particular attention to monitoring during blasting.

Tectonic ultimately provided additional inspection services to monitor drainage, utilities, grading, building foundation and superstructure construction.

By Juan Lopez 0 Comments

Buckeye Terminal

Tectonic worked with Buckeye Partners to provide support for the renovation, expansion and upgrade of the existing railroad tank car unloading facility in Perth Amboy, NJ to handle a higher capacity of tankers. The renovation project consisted of the construction of 500 feet of lead track and a ladder track system involving seven yard tracks with unloading/loading proposed structures. A section of the yard tracks supported a bridge structure to allow for passages of a 48” storm sewer and six product line pipes beneath the tracks.

Tectonic performed a subsurface investigation, laboratory testing, and prepared a geotechnical engineering report with recommendations for the design and construction of subgrades for the ladder tracks and the foundations for the tank car unloading structures and bridge abutments. With the presence of highly compressible soil and large fill quantities, Tectonic investigated methods for mitigating the anticipated settlement, which included the use of geogrids, stone columns, and wet/dry soil mixing.

By Juan Lopez 0 Comments

LOOP Hudson Valley Shopping Center

Tectonic is working with the Wilder Companies to provide professional engineering services for the development of a 650,000 square foot outdoor shopping center, known as the LOOP-Hudson Valley, in the Town of Newburgh, New York.

Tectonic performed several subsurface investigations and geotechnical evaluations for the new shopping center. The subsurface investigations performed evaluated the subsurface conditions and developed geotechnical recommendations for the design and construction of the foundations for the proposed buildings, and related improvements, in addition to the main tenant pad sites. These services included drilling, sampling and logging of over 150 borings and test pits.

Tectonic developed methods to overcome project challenges including soil and rock slope stabilization design, and remedial removals of unsuitable bearing materials in some tenant locations by providing detailed rock fill specifications and placement procedures.

Conveniently located in Newburgh at the junction of two major interstates (I-84 & I-87), The LOOP-Hudson Valley will feature a variety of dining experiences, specialty retail stores, a multi-screen theater, fitness, and lifestyle retailers. As part of the Hudson Valley’s River Town Revival, the center will provide jobs, revenue, and a community-friendly shopping experience.

By Juan Lopez 0 Comments

Butler Hotel

Tectonic worked closely with Boymelgreen, LLC to perform a geotechnical investigation of the Butler Hotel, a 162-room hotel converted from two warehouse buildings. The project consisted of the construction of four additional floors within a portion of the existing 4-story warehouse on the south side of the site. Additionally, a cellar was added beneath the 1-story warehouse building on the north side of the site, where up to five additional floors were added.

Tectonic performed eight borings and seven test pit excavations. An ATV-mounted drill rig was mobilized to perform the test borings inside the existing warehouse. One groundwater observation well was installed. It was desired to use the existing mat foundation and foundation system for the most cost effective design. A 3-D finite element analysis was used to estimate total and differential settlements for the current and future loading conditions. Drilled micro-piles were used to support the foundations for the new shear walls and also to support the foundations being constructed within the existing 1-story warehouse. A report was prepared that included parameters for designing the pile foundations and recommendations for construction the new cellar and installing piles to minimize impact on the existing structures and neighboring buildings.

By Juan Lopez 0 Comments

Iona College Various Projects

Tectonic has been working with Iona College since 2001 providing engineering, environmental, and construction phase services on a variety of new-build and rehabilitation projects as part of Iona’s comprehensive strategic plan. Tectonic has provided geotechnical engineering (in addition to other services) on the following projects:

  • North Avenue Residence Hall – new 7-story, 310-bed residence hall with 7,000 square feet of commercial space for retail and restaurants on the ground floor.
  • Hagan Hall – addition of a new structure to existing Hagan School of Business building to triple the space available for students and faculty.
  • Hynes Athletic Center – 2 expansions/reconfigurations of the existing 2-story, 26,000 square foot athletic center to support more athletic teams and create indoor rowing tools for the crew team.
  • East Hall – new 3-story, 112-bed residence hall. This brick and steel frame modular residence hall was the first prefabricated building Tectonic had completed work on.
  • Ryan Library – building foundation support, steel erection of a new atrium entrance, renovations, and addition to the rear of the facility.
  • LaPenta Student Union – new 3-story building home to a bookstore, food court, media center, and various offices.
  • Conese Hall – new 6-story residence hall. Tectonic provided vibration monitoring services during rock excavation and pile driving activities.
  • South Hall – new 6-story residence hall.
  • Improvements on various parking lots and the Mazzella field.

Geotechnical Services included the performance of subsurface investigations, laboratory soil testings, engineering analyses, and preparation of reports. Due to the highly variable subsurface conditions at the sites, including and underground river, and deep/shallow foundations, Tectonic designed an extensive waterproofing and dewatering system for the building structures.

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PANYNJ Geo Term Contract

Tectonic has been working with the Port Authority to provide professional geotechnical, environmental, and controlled inspection services as requested on a “call-in” basis through 2017 for various locations throughout New York and New Jersey.

Tectonic has provided, and is currently providing, the following services:

  • Subsurface investigations, inspections of soil test borings, rock coring, monitoring well installation, and soil identification.
  • Preparation of detailed logs of the daily work for review by the Port Authority Supervisor.
  • Concrete testing, fill placement, subgrades, asphalt pavement, and precast concrete inspections.

Recent projects completed under this contract include:

  • Freedom Tower at the World Trade Center complex
  • Lincoln Tunnel
  • Goethals Bridge
  • JFK Airport – Terminals 5, 6, 8 and 9 Redevelopment – parking garage
  • Staten Island Railroad Connection to Chemical Coastline, Elizabeth, NJ
  • Teterboro Airport Taxiways P & Q Extensions, Teterboro, NJ
  • PATH Grove Street Station, Jersey City, NJ
  • Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) South Fuel Farm Subsurface Remediation
  • Stewart International Airport Runway
  • LaGuardia Airport Expansion
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NYC DDC Geo Term Contract

Tectonic entered into an agreement with the New York City Department of Design and Construction (NYCDDC) to provide geotechnical and boring inspection services at various locations throughout New York City’s five boroughs. Borings were taken to obtain reliable soil strata information for the preparation of plans for the construction of various infrastructure and structure projects including road reconstruction and utility installation/replacement, municipal building construction and recreational facilities. Administered by the NYCDDC, Tectonic provided up to six inspectors to monitor various drilling contractors. Additional services included:

  • Review and analysis of subsurface and laboratory data.
  • Development of foundation design criteria.
  • Report preparation with foundation recommendations.
  • During construction, provided technical advisory services for projects that varied from street and utility relocation to multi-story building construction for various NYC agencies that are under the auspices of the NYCDDC.
  • Coordination and supervision of Contractor’s activities (boring operations, including layout and controlled inspection)
  • Classification and performance testing services.