Institute of Philosophy & Ethics East Campus, The City of Ten Thousand Buddhas
The City of Ten Thousand Buddhas is an international Buddhist community and monastery. It is one of the first Chan Buddhist temples in the United States and one of the largest Buddhist communities in the Western Hemisphere.
Site Square Footage: 18 acres
Client: Dharma Realm Buddhist Association
Architect: TLCD/Pacific Design Group
Structural Engineer: STB Structural Engineers, Inc.
Civil Engineer: Summit Engineering, Inc.
Rockridge Geotechnical (RG) performed investigations and provided recommendations for Phase 1 and Phase 2 of the International Institute of Philosophy & Ethics East Campus at the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas. Phase 1 includes single-story dormitories, a chant hall, a precept hall, other administration buildings and facilities, a treated wastewater effluent pond, new roadways, and retaining walls. Phase 2 includes an assembly area, a dining hall, a library, women’s dormitories, new driveways, and elevated walkways.
Based on the subsurface information, Rockridge Geotechnical determined that the major geotechnical issues at the site were providing adequate foundation support, foundation settlement due to compression of the underlying soft clay soil, and the relatively shallow groundwater table.
Rockridge Geotechnical’s recommendations included shallow foundation design, drilled piers, soil stabilization methods, and pavement design.