MSD Carlow - Pharmaceuticals
Expansion of the Carlow pharmaceuticals facility required a new production building. Soft ground determined the need for piled foundations. This called for a 9,000m2 piling platform constructed with imported granular fill. The contractor saved €58,000 on the platform with Tensar’s solution.
Benefits
- €58,000 cost savings to the contractor
- 5,000 tonnes less imported aggregate used
- 35 tonnes CO2e reduction in estimated construction emissions
Due to the presence of weak ground on site, comprising of made-up ground overlying glacial deposits, the building foundation was to be piled. The Geotechnical Interpretive Report proposed a 650mm thick granular fill working platform to support the 80 tonne piling rigs. The contractor sought to reduce the cost.
The contractor, Robert Quinn Ltd, contacted Tensar to ask for a value engineered alternative to the suggested working platform design. Tensar was able to provide a full design solution for a working platform that saved 45% of imported granular fill compared to the original design. The solution featured a Tensar Mechanically Stabilised Layer incorporating Tensar stabilisation geogrid to achieve the required bearing capacity with a thinner aggregate layer.
