PROJECT SPOTLIGHT
VTL
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Hamilton, Ontario, Canada L8L 4Z9
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“They form a perimeter around the planted vegetation, acting
as a wave break to help ensure growth takes hold as soon as possible,”
said Foltiny. “Some of the boulders have depressions carved
in to act as tidal pools. Within a few months of setting the boulders,
we’ve already seen various forms of marine life taking hold.”
“Boulders were also placed around the PET planting media,
thereby protecting the planting media that supports the growth
of grasses and other estuarine vegetation,” said Ellman. “A larger
planting area was created in the eastern portion of the platform to
facilitate the growth of larger plants. Boulders are placed around
the planter to help resist wave loads.”
“There were five different types of boulders varying in shape and
size,” said Foltiny, explaining one of the project’s major challenges.
“The architect, OLIN Studio, provided plans showing which type of
stone went where for each layer. The most difficult part of installation
was the fact that, while there were five specified types of boulder,
each individual boulder was unique and varied in size within a
certain tolerance. So, in a way, it was like putting together a puzzle,
trying to find which stone would fit in which spot – all the while,
the window for work was limited by the rising tide.”
Work is now underway on the walkway structures and is scheduled
to be completed in the spring. Work on the upland park is also
in progress.
Project challenges and solutions
One of the biggest challenges on the project, says Foltiny, was
design elevation in relation to the tides.
“At best,” he said, “the work was above water for a few hours per
tide shift and was often completely submerged.”
Compounding this challenge is the location of the jobsite near
the south tip of Manhattan, where “the currents are fast enough
as is, and constant ferry traffic only made it worse,” according to
Foltiny. “This meant careful planning of the work was needed in
relation to tide schedules, and we worked night shifts for a large
portion of the project.”
Underwater work also meant that cast-in-place concrete was
not an option for the panels, says Ellman. This created another
project challenge: Transporting 40-foot-wide, 250-ton concrete
panels from a precast plant would not be possible. The solution
“Careful planning of the
work was needed in relation
to tide schedules, and we
worked night shifts for a
large portion of the project.”
– Andrew Foltiny, Trevcon Construction
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