How The Dwyer Company Engineered a Stable Foundation on Former SeaWorld Site Soils
- Project Type: Commercial
- Project Services: Helical Piles
When the design team for the new Aurora Park development, built on the site of the former SeaWorld of Ohio, began planning a gateway and turnstile building, soil testing revealed a serious obstacle: 14 to 21 feet of soft, wet soils sitting above the stable bearing strata the structure would need. In close collaboration with Civil Solutions (engineer) and general contractor Infinity Construction, The Dwyer Company designed and installed a helical pier foundation system that bypassed the unstable soils entirely and anchored the building in the strong soils below, completing the full installation, 47 piles in total, in just five days and keeping the project on schedule.
Facing similar soil challenges on a commercial build?
Quick Facts
- Aurora, Ohio
- Project Type: Commercial – New Construction
- Timeline: 5 days
- Foundation System: Helical Pier Foundation – 35 Vertical + 12 Battered Piles
- Vertical Pile Capacity: 28 Kips Compression / 10 Kips Tension
- Battered Pile Capacity: 8.5 Kips Tension / 8.5 Kips Compression
- Soil Conditions: Soft/wet soils to a depth of 14–21 feet
- Partners: Infinity Construction (General Contractor), Civil Solutions (Engineer)
The Challenge
The Aurora Park site presented a foundation engineer’s worst-case scenario: soft, wet soils extending 14 to 21 feet below grade, sitting directly beneath the planned footprint of the gateway/turnstile building. Conventional shallow foundations couldn’t be supported by soils this unstable, and excavating to remove and replace that volume of poor soil across the site would have been costly, time-consuming, and disruptive to the broader Aurora Park construction schedule. The project needed a foundation solution that could pass through the soft upper soils without disturbing them and reach the stiff to very stiff soils below — all while accommodating a dense pile layout in a tight footprint, with limited room for installation equipment to maneuver between pile locations.
Key Project Details
vertical helical piers designed for 28 kips compression and 10 kips tension, using a 10-12-14-16 helix configuration
battered helical piers designed for 8.5 kips tension and 8.5 kips compression, using a 10-12 helix configuration
Piles extended through 14 to 21 feet of soft/wet soils to reach stiff/very stiff bearing soils
Site is part of the Aurora Park development, built on the former SeaWorld of Ohio property
Dense pile layout required a pre-installation sequencing plan to navigate equipment access between piles
piles completed in 5 days, keeping the project on schedule
The Solution: Helical Pier Foundation System
The Dwyer Company designed and installed a deep foundation system using 35 vertical helical piers and 12 battered helical piers, configured to extend through the 14 to 21 feet of soft/wet soils and achieve full bearing capacity in the stronger soils beneath. The vertical piers were engineered using a 10-12-14-16 helix configuration to support 28 kips of compression and 10 kips of tension, while the battered piers used a 10-12 configuration to support 8.5 kips of tension and 8.5 kips of compression — providing both vertical load support and lateral stability for the gateway structure.
Because so many piles were concentrated within a relatively small footprint, the installation required careful sequencing. The Dwyer Company’s crew mapped out a pile-by-pile installation plan before mobilizing, ensuring each pier could be driven to depth and torqued to spec without equipment conflicts or access issues between adjacent pile locations. That planning paid off: the full 47-pile system was installed in just five days, with attention to detail and teamwork driving the process from layout through final torque verification.
The Impact
The helical pier system delivered a foundation that’s structurally sound, schedule-friendly, and built for the long term. The Aurora Park gateway/turnstile building now sits on a foundation engineered to perform in soils that would have stopped a conventional footing in its tracks — without the cost or schedule risk of large-scale soil remediation.
Engineered for
the site
A foundation system matched precisely to the site's soil profile, engineered to reach stable bearing strata at depth
On-time
delivery
A five-day installation that kept the broader Aurora Park construction timeline on track
Cost-effective solution
Avoided the cost and disruption of large-scale soil excavation and replacement
Precision
execution
47 piles installed precisely within a tight footprint through careful pre-planning and teamwork
Why Helical Piers?
Helical pier foundations give The Dwyer Company a way to bypass unsuitable soils entirely rather than trying to improve or remove them — a critical advantage on a site like Aurora Park, where soft, wet soils ran 14 to 21 feet deep across the footprint.
- Bypasses poor soils – Reaches stable bearing soils without excavation
- Precision-engineered capacity – Engineered to exact compression and tension loads for the structure above, with configurations tailored pile by pile
- Fast installation – No curing time required — piers are load-tested and ready immediately after installation
- Versatile configuration – Vertical and battered piles can be combined on the same project to handle both vertical loads and lateral forces
- Low-impact installation – Minimal vibration and disturbance to surrounding soils and nearby structures during installation
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 Aurora Park gateway/turnstile building. Our team’s technical expertise, advanced equipment, and commitment to precision execution delivered a foundation system built to perform for decades, even on some of the most challenging soils in the region.
Ready to build on a foundation that’s engineered for your site’s soil conditions?