At Rockridge Geotechnical, we have expertise in a number of different types of projects.

Education
University of California Naval Architecture Building Expansion

Richard C. Blum Hall opened its doors to the public on 8 October 2010. The 22,000 square feet contemporary and Craftsman-style wood, concrete and glass complex, which houses the four-year-old Blum Center is a remodelled historic Naval Architecture Building on the north side of campus.

A new three-storey wing is attached to the renovated Naval Architecture Building by a network of plazas, terraces and bridges that also link to Sutardja Dai Hall. The wing's energy-efficient features include pitched roofs to keep the warm air high above the work areas, operable windows that promote the flow of fresh air, cedar shingles that provide maximum weather and sound insulation, and daylight sensors that make the most of natural light. Its upper levels are designed to offer views of the Campanile and San Francisco Bay.

San Francisco-based Gensler Architects designed the new wing and restored the Naval Architecture Building in conjunction with historic preservation specialist Knapp Architects based in San Francisco. Bordered by the weathered Northgate Hall, which houses the Graduate School of Journalism, and the College of Engineering's Sutardja Dai Hall, the Blum Hall complex is designed to integrate both craftsman and modernist architecture.

Residential/Mixed-Use
Littlefield Avenue Resurfacing Project
South San Francisco

Rockridge Geotechnical performed a geotechnical investigation for the replacement of a sanitary sewer pipe which is part of the Littlefield Avenue Resurfacing Project. The sanitary sewer pipe to be replaced is about 610 feet long. Because of differential settlement of the pipe, proper flow in the pipeline does not occur unless there is sufficient head on the upgradient end. Review of historic maps and aerial photographs were performed to supplement the borings and CPTs advanced to investigate subsurface conditions along the alignment.

The map and photograph review revealed that the central portion of the pipeline alignment crosses the former San Bruno Channel, which was a man-made shipping channel constructed in the early 1900's and filled in the early 1960's. The filling of the channel resulted in significant ground surface settlement due to consolidation of the Bay mud under the new fill load. Using the results of the research and consolidation tests on Bay Mud samples from the borings, engineering analyses were performed to estimate future settlement of the proposed replacement sewer line.



Infrastructure
Canal Quarry Reclamation
Richmond, CA

Rockridge Geotechncial provided geotechnical engineering services during the reclamation of the Canal Quarry in Richmond, California. The quarry consisted of a sidehill cut into sandstone and shale bedrock. Quarry operations ceased in the 1990's; however, the proposed reclamation plan for the quarry closure was determined to be inappropriate because slope stability issues were not addressed during the final grading of the quarry operations. Consequently, a supplemental geologic and geotechnical investigation was performed to provide revised recommendations for the reclamation plan.

The reclamation included using a combination earth fill buttress and geogrid-reinforced fill to stabilize the eroded quarry face. Rock bolts were also installed to stabilize a rock toppling failure in a portion of the quarry. Services provided included engineering analyses to evaluate stability of various slope repair configurations, determination of required rock bolt lengths and capacities, and preparation of a report providing recommendations for geotechnical aspects of the quarry reclamation.

The reclamation was successfully completed and is currently undergoing post-reclamation monitoring by the State of California Mining and Geology Board. The site encompasses an area of about 8.8 acres. Approximately 190,000 cubic yards of fill were placed during the reclamation. The total cost of the reclamation was approximately $3,500,000.