One of the largest drilled shaft foundation projects in North America completed
At a glance
As Vaudreuil-Dorion’s population grows, there is an increasing need for hospital capacity to meet the growing community’s health needs. Residents currently do not have access to emergency and specialized healthcare nearby and the development of this new hospital will provide these vital services closer to home.
The challenge
The Vaudreuil-Soulanges hospital plans include two large pavilions that will sit on land covering 25 hectares. Our team was mandated to prepare detailed geotechnical and structural seismic designs for the deep foundation system required to support the building superstructures. More than 500 deep foundations were designed to support the different static and dynamic loading cases transmitted to ground level in very challenging geotechnical conditions. Those challenges include a high water table, and sensitive Champlain clay deposit overlaying dense glacial till resting on very strong rock.
Our response
Our geostructural team performed advanced soil-structure interaction modeling using full-sized deep foundation cyclic lateral tests and axial response results for model calibration to design an optimized foundation system including a total of 543 permanent deep foundations. Through collaboration with our teaming partners for superstructure design, we improved our understanding of substructure-to-superstructure dynamic behavior, including its interdependence on foundation response during an earthquake event. Our knowledge and experience designing durable, reinforced concrete drilled shaft deep foundations ensure structural sustainability in the long run and remove the requirement for permanent drilled shaft exterior casing. At the end, the deep foundation system includes a 274 and 245 drilled shaft respectively of 1.18 m and 1.50 m in diameter with 2.2m to 7.5 m long rock sockets plus 24 driven pile foundations.
In addition to foundation design, supervision and quality control, the GHD team was in charge of the project's geotechnical components including complementary investigations, BIM-integrated geological 3D modeling, detailed site-specific dynamic response, hydrogeological modeling and temporary dewatering design, pavement design, MSE walls, support of excavation and open cut geotechnical design, working platforms and drilled piles geostructural design for all 8 tower crane foundations. This work greatly increases project value for both the client and taxpayers while reducing machine time, diminishing the project's overall environmental impact.
The impact
The new Vaudreuil-Soulanges hospital will enhance the well-being of residents by providing them with accessible, high-quality healthcare, eliminating the need for long-distance travel for medical services. It will expedite the delivery of critical care during emergencies so that the community’s health is prioritized. The overall region can take advantage of job creation at the hospital, promoting future economic growth for the municipality and the surrounding regions.