Innovative foundation design isolates ground vibrations in new cancer center

BOSTON — GEI Consultants Inc. announced the completion of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute’s Yawkey Center for Cancer Care, located in the heart of Boston’s Longwood Medical Area. GEI was instrumental in the design and construction of an innovative solution to isolate the new facility from large ground vibrations generated by an adjacent power plant.

The Yawkey Center for Cancer Care is a cutting-edge cancer care facility that houses Dana-Farber’s adult clinical care and clinical research programs. GEI provided integrated assessment, geotechnical, and environmental services for the construction of this new structure. The Yawkey Center for Cancer Care is adjacent to, and interconnects with, the award-winning Smith Research Laboratories Building, which also involved collaboration between GEI and Dana-Farber. The project replaces an outdated two-story building with a 14-story, 285,000-square-foot building designed for clinical care, clinical research, support, and office use. The Yawkey Center for Cancer Care also includes seven stories of underground parking extending 75 feet below ground. GEI also provided Licensed Site Professional (LSP) services during design and construction for issues associated with existing petroleum contamination identified after the start of construction.

Although tolerance levels for vibrations in the new facility are quite low, the facility is located within 1 foot of a power plant that generates particularly large ground vibrations. To isolate the new building from these ground vibrations, and support the deep excavation required for the underground structure, GEI used concrete walls cast inside slurry-filled trenches and supported by permanent rock anchors to create an innovative foundation that allows the building to stand freely within a protective perimeter wall.

For more information, visit www.geiconsultants.com.