Cefali& AssociatesContactAt Glendale Community College, a terraced hillside science building needed earth support that followed the architecture and allowed its foundations to be excavated. Working for architect HMC, Cefali & Associates designed a permanent shoring wall to relieve earth pressure from the building.
The retaining geometry had to work through construction as well as in the finished hillside. Temporary retained heights allowed excavation for the building's foundations, including drilled piles, while the terraced layout created non-typical corners in the wall.
Site conditions
The permanent shoring wall relieved earth pressure from the science building. Its geometry was developed with building structural engineer Saiful Bouquet as the retaining and foundation conditions were worked through.
The architectural concept stepped up the hillside and created several unusual corner conditions. Changes in wall direction and retained height need to be resolved with the building layout, rather than treated as a continuous straight wall.
The wall's temporary retained heights allowed excavation for the new foundations. Cefali's documented scope was the shoring wall and its coordination with the building structure, including the space and geometry needed for that excavation.
Published project work
Permanent earth support and temporary retained heights around a terraced hillside science building on North Verdugo Road.
Engineering scope
These projects show how excavation depth, neighboring structures, access, and the permanent work can change the support design. Your site needs its own geotechnical criteria and structural design. The contractor determines installation and construction means and methods.
Read more about earth retention systems or explore other published work in Glendale.