Geocon provided geotechnical, special inspection, and testing and observation services during grading and construction of the Orange County’s Department of Public Works new Multipurpose Rehabilitation Center at the existing juvenile campus. The project was funded by the Capital Improvements Project Program from the General Fund Reserves set-aside for the Probation Department. This project is part of a $15.4 million dollar budget. The project consists of a Multipurpose/ Rehabilitation building, a parking area, a fire department access lane, and CMU security perimeter fence. The building holds two classrooms, one visitor room, two program rooms, an indoor gymnasium, outdoor hand ball courts, a fitness center, restrooms, a visitor child play area, sally port, control room, search rooms, a kitchen, staff station, storage rooms, mechanical/electrical/janitor rooms, and a lobby.

The project provides the youth it houses with a space that offers leisure and structured activities, counseling and mental health care, and other care services to change and improve their future. Additionally, the MRC provides dedicated space for families and other visitors, as well as a childcare room designed to give parents and guardians the opportunity to spend more quality time on-site.

The project included challenging geotechnical conditions including soft, saturated shallow soils that are prone to excessive settlements under the application of building loads, as well as deeper soils that are susceptible to liquefaction under seismic loading. Based on these conditions, it was determined that the most efficient foundation system consists of a concrete mat foundation system deriving support in a blanket of engineered fill reinforced with geosynthetic materials spaced at approximately 18-inch intervals vertically. The geosynthetic reinforced engineered fill layer provides a flexible substratum which will reduce the propagation of settlements due to the underlying compressible soils and liquefiable soils to the foundation level.

Client
Orange County Department of Public Works

Services
Geotechnical Investigation
Construction Inspection

Geocon Leaders
Jelisa Adams, GE
Neal Berliner, GE
Gerald Kasman, CEG