How The Dwyer Company Supported a New Retaining Wall at Hyde Park Flats
- Project Type: Commercial
- Project Services: Deep Foundation Systems, Helical Piles
At Hyde Park Flats, a new construction project in Cincinnati, Ohio, crews hit soft soils right where a new site retaining wall was planned. The Dwyer Company installed 14 helical piers to carry the wall, working alongside general contractor Terrex Development & Construction and engineer Civil Solutions. Each pier was designed to support 24 kips of compression, 10 kips of tension, and 2 kips of lateral load, giving the wall proper bearing capacity without the deep excavation that could have undermined the existing building next door.
Facing soft soils on a commercial build?
Quick Facts
- Cincinnati, Ohio
- Project Type: Commercial – New Construction
- Timeline: 2 days
- Foundation System: Helical piers, 14 installed under the site retaining wall
- Pier Capacity: 24 kips compression, 10 kips tension, 2 kips lateral
- Soil Conditions: Soft soils at the retaining wall location
- Partners: Terrex Development & Construction (general contractor), Civil Solutions (engineer)
The Challenge
Soft soils showed up exactly where the new site retaining wall needed to sit. A conventional footing there would have meant deep excavation, and digging that deep beside the existing building risked undermining it. The wall still had to reach reliable bearing capacity, so the load needed another path down to competent soil.
Access made the work harder. The pier locations sat just off the main entrance to the construction site, the same ground every other trade used to get in and out. Crews staged and scheduled around the other contractors and subcontractors so pier installation kept moving without blocking the entrance.
Key Project Details
helical piers installed under the new site retaining wall
Each pier designed for 24 kips compression, 10 kips tension, and 2 kips lateral
Wall set on competent bearing without deep excavation near the existing building
The Solution: Helical Pier Foundation System
The Dwyer Company installed 14 helical piers beneath the new site retaining wall. Each pier was engineered to support 24 kips in compression, 10 kips in tension, and 2 kips of lateral load. Turned into the ground until they reached soil stiff enough to carry the wall, the piers gave the structure its bearing capacity without the deep footing excavation the soft soils would otherwise have demanded.
Keeping the site entrance open drove the sequencing. Because the pier locations sat just off the main way in, crews coordinated closely with the other contractors and subcontractors sharing that ground, timing the work so material and equipment kept moving through. Close attention to each pier’s placement and depth held the installation to the engineered design.
The Impact
The finished pier layout gave the retaining wall a stable foundation and kept the neighboring building out of harm’s way.
Engineered for the load
Fourteen piers carried the wall at 24 kips compression, 10 kips tension, and 2 kips lateral, matching the engineered design.
Protected the existing building
Setting the wall on piers avoided the deep excavation that could have undermined the building next door.
Worked around an active site
Crews installed just off the main entrance without shutting it down, coordinating with every trade using that access.
Precise placement
Attention to each pier’s location and depth kept the installation true to the engineering.
Why Helical Piers?
Helical piers let The Dwyer Company reach competent bearing soil under the retaining wall without excavating deep next to an occupied building.
- Bypasses poor soils – piers turn past soft surface soils and transfer load into the stiff soil below.
- Precision-engineered capacity – each pier is designed to a specific compression, tension, and lateral rating.
- Fast installation – piers go in with compact equipment and carry load as soon as they are set, with no cure time.
- Low site disruption – the work skips the wide, deep excavation a conventional footing needs, which suits tight and active sites.
Why Choose The Dwyer Company for structural integrity?
Deep History • Solid Choice
he Dwyer Company’s track record in commercial foundation systems made us the partner Terrex Development & Construction and Civil Solutions turned to at Hyde Park Flats. Our crews set 14 helical piers under the new retaining wall on a tight site, without disturbing the building next door.
Building on soft soils? Get the foundation engineered right the first time.