Waterfront South Central

Project Background: Our clients, PJ Hegarty & Sons, and PJ Edwards & Company Limited, have achieved substantial progress at the Waterfront South Central site—a significant docklands development in Dublin. This project stands out as one of the city's initial attempts at a comprehensive carbon-positive campus, comprising three residential towers and four commercial buildings. This ambitious docklands development will feature Europe’s largest living wall and will comprise three striking residential towers up to 45 stories and four exemplary commercial office buildings to become Ireland’s first-ever carbon-positive campus. A recent project milestone involved reaching formation level in localized basement areas during excavation. This achievement has paved the way for installing load-bearing piles, following bulk excavation of approximately 75,000 cubic meters, creating a 15.8-meter deep basement supported by a secant pile wall and tie-back anchors.

Our Role: Our role primarily revolves around geotechnics. We've been responsible for designing the secant pile wall and implementing tie-back anchors. This contribution is crucial to ensuring the structural stability and longevity of the deep basement—a distinctive feature of this development.

Value-Add and Innovation: Our focus extends beyond the conventional scope. We provide expertise in geotechnical engineering, foundation design, and piling, with a primary aim of ensuring the stability, safety, and durability of the basement throughout its lifespan. We address engineering challenges to prevent settlement, structural problems, and potential risks associated with the significant depth of the basement, nearly 16 meters below ground.

Geotechnical Considerations: A key aspect of our involvement is designing a secant pile wall and temporary tie-back anchors to counter soil and water pressures. We've conducted extensive Finite Element Modeling to assess ground movements and ensure they remain within acceptable limits. Additionally, we've considered the future extension of the excavation near the Luas line and conducted thorough modeling to prevent excessive settlement.

Site Investigations and Mitigation: We've conducted extra site investigations to understand and mitigate ground risks, ensuring that the proposed construction methods are feasible for the deep basement construction. Our efforts contribute to maintaining a secure foundation for the project.

Temporary Works and Stability Checks: We've been appointed as the temporary works designers for the main contractor, PJ Hegarty & Sons. Our responsibilities include conducting slope stability assessments considering factors such as basement excavation, dewatering, and soil conditions across the site. Regular inspections on the temporary slope's stability will be conducted during basement construction.

In summary, our involvement in the Waterfront South Central project is characterized by pragmatic geotechnical expertise and meticulous planning. Our contributions ensure the project's foundation remains solid, and its execution aligns with safety and longevity goals.