Cefali& AssociatesContactBelow-grade construction needs an excavation supported at the depths required for the work. At the West Hollywood Edition, the cut for the hotel’s below-grade levels varied from about 9 to 50 feet near Sunset and Doheny.
Cefali & Associates designed the excavation support using soldier piles and lagging, with tiebacks bracing most piles. Corner braces at selected locations and a local secant pile wall addressed conditions that did not fit the main support arrangement.
Site conditions
The Edition’s below-grade levels called for different retained heights around the site. For excavation support, the depth of each cut and the stages of work affect the piles, lagging, and bracing needed during construction.
Corner braces were used where the design avoided obtaining tieback easements from neighbors. Braces occupy part of an excavation, so their layout has to be considered with equipment access and the below-grade work that needs to fit around them.
At the billboard, a local secant pile wall with walers and high-capacity tieback anchors supported the excavation. Existing structures can change the support required along one segment even when the main wall system suits the rest of the cut.
Published project work
West Hollywood Edition: support for excavation of below-grade hotel levels, with depths from about 9 to 50 feet.
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 temporary shoring design or explore other published work in West Hollywood.