Hemet Elementary School Reconstruction
Project Summary
Hemet Unified School District (2008-2017)
Hemet’s oldest schoolhouse, built in 1927 was forced to close permanently in 2009 due to safety hazards from significant structural damage it
incurred from settlement issues. Hemet Unified School District’s decision to reconstruct the school was part of a $32 million restoration that
included a newly designed campus retaining the look and feel of the original 1927 building. IFE played a vital by conducting subsurface
exploration and testing which revealed soil conditions related to the hazardous structural damage of the school. Our studies contributed to the
District’s decision to ultimately tear down the original schoolhouse.
IFE Role
FE was then retained by the Hemet Unified School District to perform
supplemental geotechnical exploration, sampling and analysis for the new
campus construction. Laboratory bench scale testing was performed to
develop performance-based specifications for the design build contractor.
Because of the existing soil conditions and foundation requirements, we evaluated multiple foundation options, including but not limited to cast-inplace concrete piles, vibro-stone columns (VSCs), and deep mixing method
(DMM). DMM was selected as the most cost-effective ground improvement
alternative for the site and saved HUSD over $2 million over other ground
improvement and foundation alternatives.
AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS
- 2018 Honor Award, American Council of Engineering Companies – California
- 2018 Outstanding Geotechnical Project, American Society of Civil Engineers – Riverside / San Bernardino Chapter