The San Mateo Foster City School district is located on the western shores of San Francisco Bay in San Mateo County, CA. This area has been developed by placing artificial fill over bay wetlands. These site conditions create geotechnically challenging conditions, which include liquefiable sands overlying highly compressible bay mud. Geosphere has been assisting the San Mateo Foster City School District in the design and construction of new school building and campuses at four different locations within their district. The geotechnically complex conditions have required extensive engineering and coordination with other design partners, as well as the California Geologic Survey (CGS) and the Division of State Architect (DSA). Geosphere has developed creative reinforced earth solutions to allow for the construction of new facilities adjacent to 20 year old existing buildings, founded on shallow foundations.
These school sites included the following campuses:
- Foster City Elementary School
- Audobaun Elementary School
- Bowditch Elementary School
- Baywood Elementary School
The Geotechnical challenges involved in the project were as follows:
- Ground Improvement
- Soft Soil
- Liquefaction
Geotechnical Services included the following:
- Geotechnical Site Investigation
- Engineering Consultation
- Foundation Construction Observation
- Earthwork Observation
- Testing Services
Client / Owner: San Mateo Foster City School District
Duration: 2008-present
Construction Cost: $200 million