Challenging concrete foundations

Critics of the building industry often cite a ‘that’s the way it’s always been done’ mentality for the seemingly glacial pace at which the industry adapts to change or innovation—choosing instead to maintain time-honoured yet outmoded construction practices.

One such area where this seems to be the case is pile foundations. A traditional pile foundation can be quite time-consuming, taking up to three days to prepare, requires ongoing council sign-off and can be quite disruptive to the immediate surroundings, says Jude Hickson, Managing Director of Stop Digging.

“Since 2012, Stop Digging has been supplying and installing ground screw pile solutions around the world. There are multiple benefits to using this system over traditional timber or concrete piles but the most obvious is just how expeditious it is.

“Typically, a ground screw foundation can be installed within half a day or less and is then immediately ready to support a structure. Additionally, ground screws come in a range of lengths and styles for use across a variety of residential and commercial applications.”

Jude says ground screws are particularly suited to education sector projects as there is no ground disruption, minimal installation required and no heavy machinery needed.

“Because no holes need to be dug there is no need for fill removal or the potential for run-off to contaminate the surroundings. Also, works can be carried out over the weekend and, in the case of prefab buildings, the building can be mounted on the piles straight away, making the building accessible come Monday morning.

“Also, in the case that the building is no longer required, the screws can be removed without any damage done to the ground and either reused elsewhere onsite or recycled.”

There are four basic types of screw—adaptor, pipe, post and beam—with a number of variations of each depending on project requirements, anything from a simple deck through to a two-storey house.

“We work closely with a structural engineer to ensure that the solution we provide will meet all design load requirements. Additionally, we carry out static load testing onsite, from the results of which we produce a producer statement for code compliance.

“It is the main focus of Stop Digging to make this the go-to system for every applicable project in New Zealand. As such, we are the last people to be wanting to install our product in a sub-standard or non-compliant manner.

Jude says Stop Digging was contacted during the lockdown by ACEPT, a provider of turn-key MRI and radiology suites to the medical imaging sector across Australia and New Zealand, to assist with the installation of an MRI suite at Gisborne Hospital Hauora Tairāwhiti.

“The project called for the installation of a 10-tonne MRI machine housed within a modular building that was going to be sited within the grounds of the hospital. Because the MRI machine was to have additional foundation support we needed to come up with a wide-span solution for the rest of the building.

“We installed 20 adaptor screws along the perimeter edges on which the demountable building would sit. It was a typically quick, clean and easy installation and we were finished in a matter of hours, allowing for the MRI suite to be craned into place.

“This is just a straightforward, simple project we love doing. It was completed 10-times faster than traditional piles would have allowed for and we used fewer piles than a standard foundation would have required, making it an efficient and cost-effective option for Hauora Tairāwhiti and with minimal disruption to hospital services.”

Learn more about ground screws and how they can be of benefit to your next project.