ings downtown; it improves Juneau’s images
and attractiveness for investment; and it
protects the existing working waterfront
for the future. Using driven pile foundations
and structures helped to achieve these
three goals.
The project provides excellent proximity
to existing retail, entertainment, residential
and service amenities by locating the
berths close to the downtown core. Using
steel pipe piles as opposed to other foundation
techniques allowed the design team
to push the face of the berths into deeper
water. This created more linear space for the
larger vessels to use the facility while still
maintaining close proximity to downtown
Juneau. Without driven pile foundations,
the cruise ship berths would have needed
to be relocated further from the downtown
core which would have diminished Juneau’s
appeal as a Port-of-Call.
As the marine gateway to the downtown
core of Juneau, the cruise ship berths
are the first view many visitors have of the
city. The design team was able to incorporate
the CBJ’s color scheme and artwork
and a variety of attractive visual elements
into the berth in order to make the facility
more attractive to visitors and encourage
investment in the service industries in the
waterfront area. The pontoons’ pile-supported
mooring structures were designed as
all vertical pile moment frame structures in
order to simplify the complex geometry of
a traditional mooring structure and minimize
space limitations. Additionally, the
pile-supported approach docks are decked
with a timber surface and timber handrails
in order to tie into the existing timber dock
along the waterfront.
Finally, the project team understood
the existing, working waterfront usage and
strove to protect these areas for future use.
Using steel pipe piles to position the cruise
ship berths offshore of the existing waterfront
line, small vessels including work
boats, pocket cruise vessels, fishing boats
and float planes still maintain access to the
existing waterfront and waterfront businesses
operating near downtown Juneau.
ASSOCIATE/ENGINEERING AFFILIATE
As the marine gateway to the downtown core of Juneau, the cruise
ship berths are the first view many visitors have of the city.
100 | ISSUE 4 2017