Case Study

When Accu-Crete was first given the opportunity to bid for the Jefferson at Bellingham project in Bellingham, Massachusetts, it looked like there would be no way to give the client a price that would work within its budget. The reason was quite simple--the site upon which the project was intended to be built was a Federally protected wetlands site. If the site was to be disturbed, trenched and graded (as the original plans called for), it could not be done without the oversight and approval of the US Army Corps of Engineers. Without question, this would have been a very time-consuming and costly process--one which the owner was not willing to undertake. Faced with this dilemma, Accu-Crete needed to devise a creative solution.

Working in conjunction with its structural engineers, the company designed a hybrid structure mixing elements of both slab-on-grade and an elevated deck. By strategically placing piles at various key locations throughout the site, Accu-Crete was able to create the necessary base upon which to pour its foundation slab while both maintaining the necessary strength of the concrete and leaving untouched the wetlands below.

Once the base slab was able to be poured the project became feasible and the client was able to construct a series of 4-story buildings on top of the structure, all while the wetlands remained intact below. Thus, the Army Corps did not need to become involved and the budget for the project was preserved. It is creative solutions like this that have given Accu-Crete its reputation for using all the resources at its disposal to enable projects to be built, on time and within budget.