WORLD TRADE CENTER

 

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA

Eustis Engineering L.L.C., is the geotechnical engineer of record for a $360 million project to turn the World Trade Center site at the foot of Canal Street into a Four Seasons hotel, commercial, and residential complex. Current remodeling plans include the addition of a four-story parking garage and a four-story ballroom and restaurant complex adjoining the existing building footprint.

Eustis Engineering originally performed subsoil explorations at the site before the 33-story tower structure, then called the International Trade Mart Building, was constructed in 1967. Eustis Engineering used this information, dating back to 1963, to make recommendations for the Mississippi riverfront site. The existing structure is primarily supported on two-piece octagonal shaped, precast concrete Bruns piles, and the structure spans over the Riverfront streetcar line. The renovated structure will include expansion over the streetcar line and will better integrate the facility with Spanish Plaza and other riverfront features.

Eustis Engineering has provided recommendations regarding site preparation, allowable pile load capacities, settlement, and general foundation construction to the design team, and has also performed seepage analyses to evaluate the project’s potential effect on area flood protection for inclusion in the project’s construction permit application to the Orleans Levee District. Ongoing efforts for the project include consultation and implementation of a test pile program prior to construction.