Cooper Hotel Pile Foundations Remediation

About the Presentation:

In the year 2021, pile installation for a new 4-star hotel on the Cooper River in Charleston, SC went awry, resulting in excessive pile top movements prior to capping and constructing the super-structure on them. Remedial work included additional site investigation, engineering analysis and constructability evaluations to identify the causes, evaluate options and develop a remediation solution that included deficient piles already installed. This presentation discusses the primary root cause, the ensuing evaluations and design, co-ordination with structural engineers, and the construction sequence to remediate the problem and get the project back on track.  

About the Speaker:

Over his 30-year career, Mr. Piazza has amassed experience in geo-structural engineering specializing in problem solving and design solutions for an array of geotechnical and waterfront foundation projects. He began his career in New York City working in and around New York Harbor’s vast waterfront for nearly 20 years. He has spent the last 10 years working in the DMV on local and nationwide marine, building, earth embankment and infrastructure projects. Mr. Piazza has been involved in the daily management and technical design of projects during investigation, preliminary, final, and construction project phases. He joined Terracon in 2020 and holds professional licenses in New Jersey, the District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia and Illinois.

Mr. Piazza is married to his wife Elizabeth, and they have three college-aged children, two cats and a dog. He enjoys music, cooking, carpentry and is the head coach of a high school varsity football program in Northern Virginia.