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CloudHQ’s Manassas Corporate Center
Industrial Data Center Campus Development
Services: Geotechnical Engineering, Construction Materials Testing and Special Inspections
Completed: Late 2017
Location: Manassas, VA
GFA: 2.2M
Project Overview
The first wave of CloudHQ’s Manassas Corporate Center (MCC) campus development was a massive 100-acre, 2.2M sq. ft. industrial development featuring four (4) one-story data center buildings, an office building, a power plant, new roadways, utilities, and stormwater management systems. Significant earthwork operations shaped the site, including cuts up to 18 feet and fills up to 32 feet, along with retaining walls up to 25 feet in height. MTI Engineering and Testing performed extensive geotechnical investigations, including over 120 borings, and construction materials testing services to help deliver one of the most important technology campuses along the east coast of the U.S.
Challenges
The large-scale of the MCC campus presented a unique set of challenges:
- Extensive Earthwork and Settlement Risks: Large-scale cut and fill operations required careful control to minimize settlement risks for new building pads.
- Rock Excavation Complexity: Subsurface conditions included large rock masses, necessitating careful identification and recommendations for rock removal techniques.
- Variable Foundation Conditions: Foundation bearing surfaces ranged from compacted engineered fill to cut natural soils to cut rock, each requiring tailored design parameters.
- Dual-Use Pavement Challenges: Pavement systems were used for construction traffic while progressing toward final surface paving, demanding special subgrade preparation and material considerations.
- Retaining Wall Stability Requirements: Retaining walls up to 25 feet in height required rigorous global stability analysis to meet Prince William County standards.
MTI’s Approach
MTI addressed these challenges through:
- Settlement Monitoring and Verification: Recommended the use of settlement hubs on major fill areas to monitor consolidation and verify that adequate settlement occurred before footing construction.
- Rock Characterization and Excavation Guidance: Performed rock coring to classify rock types and provided recommendations for rock excavation methods, including blasting and hoe-ramming where necessary.
- Engineered Fill and Gradation Control: Provided recommendations for proper fill gradations when using excavated soil and rock as engineered fill to ensure compaction and stability.
- Foundation Bearing Recommendations: Delivered differentiated bearing capacity recommendations depending on whether footings were founded on compacted fill, natural soils, or rock to accommodate subsurface variability.
- Pavement Subgrade and Construction Traffic Design: Provided pavement design guidance to account for heavy construction traffic over incomplete pavement sections, recommending modified gradations and robust base design beyond traditional specifications.
- Retaining Wall Stability Analysis: Conducted global stability analysis for 12 different wall sections, verifying compliance with minimum factor of safety requirements for rotational slope stability and wall performance.
- Comprehensive CMT Services: Provided soil and concrete field and lab CMT across roadways, utilities, stormwater ponds, and all building pads.
Outcome
MTI’s geotechnical expertise and full-scope testing services enabled the successful completion of the half-decade CloudHQ Manassas Corporate Center project. By proactively addressing earthwork, foundation design, pavement construction, and wall stability challenges, MTI helped establish a durable, stable platform for one
of east coast’s key data center and industrial developments.
