Pioneering Development over City Tunnels In western Bucharest, Romania, a land developer initiated a EUR 2.5 million project to construct the city’s first residential building over the city’s subway tunnels. The structure was initially planned as a 10-story building with a basement for parking. As a pioneer project located in the tunnel protection zone, it presented an irregular footprint and required approval from the subway operator, needing to demonstrate minimal displacement of the tunnels and effect on the structural forces. SAIDEL Engineering was tasked with providing structural and geotechnical de - sign, with the goal of reducing the overall effect of the building on the tunnel lining by providing a safe and cost-efficient foundation. The project was complex, requiring SAIDEL Engineering to modify the shape of the footprint to reduce the irregularity of the building, while still complying with its functional and architectural needs, com - pounded by the mandate to obtain the conservative subway operator’s approval. Having previously been rejected, it subsequently lingered for two years before SAIDEL Engineering’s involvement. To enable the project to proceed as quickly as possible, they needed to determine an innovative excavation plan and conceptual design for the foundation that was acceptable to the subway operator, Metrorex. Enhancing Accuracy and Optimizing Design Due to Metrorex’s strict demands to minimize impact on the tunnels, SAIDEL Engineering initially performed 2D geotechnical analysis to determine and present feasible solutions for both the excavation and foundation that complied with the displacement and structural require- ments. However, they wanted to increase the safety of the conceptual foundation design through 3Dgeotechnical modeling and analysis.While they received approval for the excavation, SAIDEL Engineering sought to develop 3D models for improved accuracy and optimization for the geotechnical design to be approved as well. “Given the sensitivity of the project, we desired to increase the safety of the solution,” explained Șerban Nicolau, FEM design engineer at SAIDEL Engineering. However, SAIDEL Engineering faced numerous obstacles when mod- eling the piles and pier loads, as well as challenges given the size of the model, which features more than 1.1 million elements and 1.5 million nodes. They needed an advanced geotechnical engineering application to provide the subway operator with accurate, quality design and docu- mentation, proving that the structural foundation and 10-story SAIDEL Engineering Designs First Residential Building above Subway Tunnels in West Bucharest PLAXIS Provides Industry Model Promoting Future Development over City Tunnels By Jana Miller
SAIDEL Engineering performed geotechnical structural analysis for the first residential building being constructed over the subway tunnels in West Bucharest. Photo: SAIDEL Engineering
Project Summary Organization: SAIDEL Engineering Solution: Geotechnical Engineering Location: Bucharest, Romania Project Objectives: • To provide a safe and cost-efficient foundation solution approved by the subway operator. • To integrate 3D geotechnical modeling for improved accuracy and design optimization. Project Playbook: PLAXIS Fast Facts • SAIDEL Engineering performed geotechnical structural analysis for the first residential building being constructed over the subway tunnels in West Bucharest. • The project presented complex geotechnical challenges determining an excavation plan and foundation design that met the subway operator’s approval. • Conducting 2D analysis and 3D modeling enabled SAIDEL Engineering to reduce the building’s overall effect on the tunnel lining. ROI • Using PLAXIS, SAIDEL Engineering delivered a design solution that achieved the subway operator’s approval within three months. • The application’s advanced geotechnical modeling and analysis features accelerated finite element modeling and ensured accurate deliverables. • SAIDEL Engineering design concept reduced the building’s influence to the tunnel lining by half in terms of displacement and structural forces.
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November 2021 csengineermag.com
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