Event Date
Pile Foundation Design and Construction Considerations for the California State University Maritime Academy Boat Basin and Pier Expansion Project
Bio
Ben Serna is a Geotechnical Director at SGH, bringing 20 years of experience in geotechnical engineering. Ben holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from UCLA and a Master of Science in Geotechnical Engineering from UC Berkeley. He provides seismic and geotechnical engineering solutions in support of planning, design, and construction of waterfront infrastructure, dams, nuclear facilities, terminals, and other critical infrastructure. His expertise includes geotechnical earthquake engineering, ground motion development, deterministic and probabilistic seismic hazard analysis, nonlinear site response, seismic slope deformation, liquefaction analysis, and deep foundation design. He routinely directs complex overwater and onshore site investigations, subsurface characterization, and seismic hazard mitigation for high-value projects across the West Coast. In addition, he actively leads and contributes to industry technical committees and has authored publications on seismic performance and ground improvement.
Abstract
The California State University Maritime Academy Boat Basin and Pier Expansion Project comprises the design and construction of a new pile-supported wharf and mooring facilities for a National Security Multi-Mission Vessel for the only maritime academy on the West Coast. The presentation will highlight key geotechnical and seismic challenges encountered at a complex waterfront site with variable subsurface conditions ranging from deep soft bay mud to shallow bedrock. Topics include the collection of key geotechnical data obtained from an overwater investigation, nonlinear site response analysis performed for design earthquake ground motion development, assessment of seismic impacts on existing piles associated with an ancient landslide, and development of axial and lateral pile design criteria. The discussion will also cover the results of design-phase pile analysis and construction-phase pile dynamic testing conducted to verify pile capacities, with an emphasis on practical design and construction considerations.