In 2009 BAUER Foundations Canada Inc. was contracted by CANA to install the pile foundations for the new Telus World of Science Center located in Calgary, Alberta.

The 265 piles had to be installed in the area of an old river bed and land?ll site. The ground conditions were difficult.Deep zones of very soft soils and high groundwater required installation of temporary casings to the top of the bedrock.

All piles were drilled into bedrock, with an average pile length of 18.5 m and a maximum pile length of 23 m. Depending on the load capacities the piles had a design socket length into the bedrock of up to 4.5 m.

Various pile diameters (760  mm  to 1,300 mm) were installed, with full length reinforcement cages to a maximum length of 24.5 m. As water was present in the pile bores, tremie pipes were used to place concrete for all piles.

The client’s construction schedule required early construction of critical core elements of the structure. Advanced logistical planning of pile installation sequence was required by Bauer to achieve the critical schedule.

Harsh winter conditions and frequent snowfalls were prevalent through the winter months of the project.