How The Dwyer Company Supported a New Locker Room Addition at the Middletown Armory
- Project Type: Commercial
- Project Services: Deep Foundation Systems, Helical Piles
The State of Ohio National Guard added a locker room to the Middletown Armory in Middletown, Ohio, on a site where the dense alluvium capable of carrying the new structure sat below the planned footing depth. The Dwyer Company installed four helical piers under the addition, working with general contractor Leo J. Brielmaier Company and engineer CT Consultants. Each pier was designed to support 37 kips in compression. The layout kept every pier clear of the utility lines running across the site, and the addition reached bearing without a deep excavation.
Planning an addition on a site where competent bearing sits deep?
Quick Facts
- Middletown, Ohio
- Project Type: Commercial – Retrofit
- Owner: State of Ohio National Guard
- Foundation System: Helical piers, four installed under the locker room addition
- Pier Capacity: 37 kips in compression per pier
- Site Conditions: Dense alluvium bearing soils below the planned footing depth; existing utility lines crossing the site
- Partners: Leo J. Brielmaier Company (general contractor), CT Consultants (engineer)
The Challenge
Reaching competent bearing at the Middletown Armory meant going deep. The dense alluvium that could carry the locker room addition sat below the elevation of a conventional footing, so the standard route called for excavating down to it and building back up. Deep excavation on an active armory site brings cost and schedule with it.
Utility lines made the work harder. Existing lines ran across the whole site, which limited where crews could dig and where equipment could sit. The crew worked each pier location around them.
Key Project Details
helical piers installed under the new locker room addition
compression capacity designed into each pier
The Solution: Helical Pier Foundation System
The Dwyer Company installed four helical piers to carry the locker room addition into the dense alluvium below. Each pier was designed for 37 kips in compression. Helical piers advance by turning into the ground, so the crew reached competent bearing from the working surface and kept the excavation shallow.
The utility lines set the working conditions. The crew placed all four piers clear of the existing lines, coordinating the locations with Leo J. Brielmaier Company and CT Consultants before installation began. Careful layout kept the utilities undisturbed. The piers landed where the design needed them.
The Impact
Bearing without a deep excavation
The piers reached the dense alluvium from the surface, so the addition got its support without the dig a conventional footing design would have required.
Cost-efficient foundation
Avoiding a deep excavation trimmed the foundation cost for the locker room addition.
Utilities left in place
Crews installed around the existing lines crossing the site, so the utilities stayed where they were.
Capacity designed pier by pier
Each of the four piers was designed for 37 kips in compression, sized for the load it carries.
Why Helical Piers?
Helical piers let The Dwyer Company reach the dense alluvium under the Middletown Armory from the surface, on a site where digging deep was the constraint.
- Bypasses weak upper soils – Piers turn past unsuitable material and land in the bearing stratum below.
- Designed capacity per pier – Each pier is specified to a load, so the foundation matches what the structure puts on it.
- Small equipment footprint – Installation runs with compact machines, which matters on a site crossed by utilities.
- Ready for load right away – Framing can follow as soon as the piers are installed and bracketed.
Why Choose The Dwyer Company for structural integrity?
Deep History • Solid Choice
The Dwyer Company’s proven track record in commercial and industrial foundation systems made us the trusted partner for the Middletown Armory locker room addition. Working alongside Leo J. Brielmaier Company and CT Consultants, our crew set four helical piers around a site full of utility lines and carried the new addition to competent bearing.
Have an addition that needs to reach bearing on a tight site?