Title:
San Francisco’s Underwater World: Piles for High Loading
Author(s):
George C. Fotinos, Yu-yi Hsu, and Larry P. Goldfarb
Publication:
Concrete International
Volume:
21
Issue:
12
Appears on pages(s):
63-67
Keywords:
earthquake-resistant structures; loading; marine piles; structural design; vibration
DOI:
Date:
12/1/1999
Abstract:
The Underwater World aquarium in San Francisco, Calif., is built out over the water and founded on a pile supported 2 to 3 ft (610 to 915 mm) thick reinforced concrete slab. Due to the heavy aquarium loads, potential for strong ground shaking in the Bay Area, and low tolerance for differential movements, high capacity foundations were required for support. This portion of the Bay Margin in San Francisco had been previously filled with rubble and other construction debris materials to form an old sea wall over several decades. Difficult pile driving conditions have resulted from buried obstructions on several near margin sites in the past. The geotechnical, seismic conditions, aspects of the structural design, pile installation methods, and pile vibration monitoring performed are presented. This project demonstrated that large diameter cylinder piles are an effective alternative to using several smaller piles for wharf structures designed for heavy loadings in areas with difficult driving condition.