While Substructure Support Inc. routinely installs piles in close proximity to existing structures, the Boeing Bldg. 45 project in Huntington Beach, California, was the first time we installed Torque Down Piles within an existing building. Boeing required contractors to operate under cover of the existing building to hide the layout and nature of the new facility from aerial and satellite photography.

On first of two jobs we’ve completed for Boeing, Torque Down Piles were selected for their unique ability to provide the capacity of a full displacement pile without the excessive noise, vibration, exhaust and access challenges of other driven pile systems.

Project Conditions

Geotechnical reports indicated that piles would be driven through layers of sand, silt, clay and gravel. Additionally, geological tests encountered free ground water beginning between seven and nine feet below the surface. Due to the sensitive nature of the lab equipment Boeing planned to house in the new structure, the deep foundation system would have to essentially eliminate any chance of settling in the course of a seismic event.

Production Piles

Substructure Support Inc. installed ninety-six Torque Down Piles with an average length of seventy feet each. We also installed nine battered piles with an approximate length of eighty-five feet each.