Extendable Screw Pile Foundations for The Scottish Crannog Visitor Centre, Loch Tay
In collaboration with project architects and engineers, RADIX supplied and installed extendable ground screws as a low-impact screw pile foundation solution for a modular building to be the new Scottish Crannog Visitor Centre.
Client:
JML Contracts, with LDN Architects
Location:
Loch Tay, Kenmore, Scotland
Project:
Visitor Centre at The Scottish Crannog Centre
Sector:
Leisure & Tourism
Services:
- Site Survey and Load Testing
- Installation of Extendable Screw Piles
- Base System Design & Manufacture
Products:
- 44 no. RADIX 89mm Screw Pile to 5.0m depth
- Bespoke pile caps to interface with modular building structural frame
Overview
Low-impact, temporary extendable screw pile foundations
A sustainable and efficient solution for temporary buildings
The Scottish Crannog Centre required a sustainable and low-impact foundation solution to support their new Visitor Centre set on the idyllic shores of Loch Tay.
The Visitor Centre would comprise two new modular eco-buildings that would be interlinked. One of the buildings accommodates a museum and staff office, while the other has a new reception, retail area, and café facility. SIP buildings and other sustainable construction methods are the perfect partners for sustainable screw pile foundations.
A solution was required to address their need for a temporary foundation, as the plan is to relocate the modular buildings to another area of the site and enable the future expansion of the Iron Age Village.
As the centre is situated in a preservation area, the surrounding trees are under a tree protection order and cannot be disturbed or uprooted. Ground conditions also required a piled foundation to transfer axial loads to the load-bearing ground. To ensure there is no damage to the surrounding environment and guarantee a stable foundation, RADIX specified a sustainable extendable screw pile solution.
Solution
Reversible foundation solution in a preservation area
Moveable and reusable, sustainable foundations
RADIX Extendable Screw Piles are a low-impact alternative to traditional foundations and a fantastic method for securing temporary structures. Each screw pile can be removed easily without causing damage to the surrounding landscape, allowing the site to be returned to its natural state or repurposed for future development and protecting neighbouring verdant terrain from upheaval.
This solution was ideal for the centre to ensure their plans for relocating the modular visitor centre would be achievable in the future.
We installed 44 RADIX EXT Screw Piles using our hydraulic and agile tracked installation machine, DUG. With DUG’s assistance, our expert installation team installed each screw pile at approximately 5.0m to ensure good load-bearing capacity. Installation was completed over two days and ahead of the contract programme.
