Brief
Discover how Vermont’s historic State Office Complex combats flooding with groundbreaking flood-proofing techniques, preserving cultural heritage and enhancing resilience.
Insight
The Vermont State Office Complex, severely impacted by Tropical Storm Irene in 2011, has undergone substantial renovations to enhance flood resilience. The project involved selecting 13 out of 20 buildings for preservation and implementing flood-proofing measures aimed at withstanding a 500-year flood event. Key strategies included the development of a stressed-skin type sandwich mat foundation using steel fiber-reinforced concrete and lightweight cellular concrete fill to prevent basement flooding
. This design effectively balanced the infill weight with hydrostatic uplift forces, providing a durable solution that adhered to budget and schedule constraints. Since its completion in 2014, the installation has proven effective, withstanding flooding conditions as recently as July 2023 without any signs of settlement distress.
The flood-proofing options studied ranged from dry to wet systems, with the final choice being a reinforced concrete tank-like structure for the basements. The design considerations were complex, factoring in long-term settlement issues of the underlying silty, clayey, and sandy soils.
A collaborative effort between the design team and the Geotechnical Engineer of Record (GER) led to the adoption of lightweight fills and buoyancy-resisting structural measures to manage the expected settlements within acceptable limits. This approach not only secured the structural integrity of the buildings but also minimized environmental impact and future maintenance costs.
The preservation strategy was integral to maintaining the historic value of the buildings, originally constructed in the late 19th century with multi-wythe brick masonry. The renovation included meticulous planning to accommodate the unique structural features of the buildings, ensuring that any interventions upheld the architectural integrity and met modern safety standards.
The successful renovation of the Vermont State Office Complex stands as a testament to innovative engineering solutions meeting heritage conservation needs, positioning the complex as a model for combining resilience with historical preservation.
Highlight
- Key strategies included the development of a stressed-skin type sandwich mat foundation using steel fiber-reinforced concrete and lightweight cellular concrete fill to prevent basement flooding.
- This design effectively balanced the infill weight with hydrostatic uplift forces, providing a durable solution that adhered to budget and schedule constraints.
- This approach not only secured the structural integrity of the buildings but also minimized environmental impact and future maintenance costs.
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