A ground movement assessment case study: Validating the construction sequence to protect listed buildings during the construction phase of the Olympia development

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4. A ground movement assessment case study: Validating the construction sequence to protect listed buildings during the construction phase of the Olympia development

To provide support to the retained façade and the adjacent listed structures within the high-density Olympia development, the new basements of Central Hall and G-Gate were constructed using the top-down method. A detailed ground movement assessment was performed to verify the chosen construction sequence and confirm stability of the sensitive structures. 2D finite element sections modelled the past and future loadings of the development. These were extrapolated to 3D using Oasys XDisp software to provide settlement predictions and damage assessments for the surrounding buildings.

The soil model options were limited by the available ground investigation results and chosen based on the most realistic soil movement predictions following a parametric study. The ongoing monitoring is providing further validation of the analysis results, chosen method and soil properties. The predicted heave for Central Hall due to demolition, basement excavation and new deep foundations is compared to the predicted settlement for a basement on the neighbouring but previously undeveloped site. This case study illustrates the importance of modelling the complexities of the construction sequence and the compromises made to accommodate typical ground investigation data.

10th European Conference on Numerical Methods in Geotechnical Engineering (NUMGE2023)

8. Excavations and retaining structures