War veterans get new locale near Jennings

Void forms accommodate expansive clay soil

By Sam Barnes

McKee & Deville Consulting Engineers of Baton Rouge had to find a way to protect three new concrete slabs from unstable expansive clay soil during construction of a new $15.8 million Southwest Louisiana War Veterans Home near Jennings. The veterans home complex will provide medical care and nursing home care to disabled and homeless Louisiana veterans upon its completion in April 2004.

Danny Deville of McKee & Deville said after weighing alternatives, cardboard void forms were determined to offer the best protection for the slab.

"The void forms will rot over time, leaving a small void beneath the concrete that creates the space the clay needs," Deville said. Without the void, the clay could push against the slab and cause cracking. A double matting of reinforcing steel provides extra support for the slab over the voids.

The use of the cardboard forms is a common method for compensating for expansive clay soils, he added.

"Jennings is well known for its expansive clay problems," Deville said. "Nearby Crowley is the same way. The clay out there has a high plasticity index."

Trent Descant, project manager with general contractor M. D. Descant Inc. in Lafayette, said the bad soil was a problem when his crew broke ground in May 2002.

"It was a very messy, wet jobsite, which left us in a quandry from the very beginning," Descant said.

A network of nearly 1,000 drilled shafts, which provide additional slab stability atop the clay, was difficult to pour at the outset because roads into the 40-acre site had not been completed.

"It rained a lot while we were drilling, which made it impossible for the trucks to get to the pour locations," Descant added.

His crew placed 3,500 yds of concrete for the shafts, all from a hopper since they couldn't get the concrete trucks to the building pad. "We had to pour everything with a 2-yd. bucket," he added. "We hooked it up to an exacavator, then walked it over to the holes and poured the concrete." All of the fill for the building pads came from on-site, derived from approximately 10,000 cu. yds. of excavaton for a 4-acre pond at the front of the building.

After the pouring of the drilled shafts, the concrete void forms were installed by the M. D. Descant crew.

"During the process, we'd grade the soil off, place the 4-in. void forms and put in 2 in. of sand to keep them level," Descant said. "We then placed the form, covered it with plastic sheeting, put a rebar mat on top of that and poured the concrete." All of the forms were supplied by Trak Foundations of Beaumont, Texas.

The slabs were poured 6 in. thick with 3,500-psi concrete supplied by Angelle Concrete's Jennings batch plant, located "just a couple of miles away." A total of about 9,000 cu. yds. of concrete will be placed for the entirety of the project.

Designed by Guidry-Beazley Architects of Lafayette, the Southwest Louisiana War Veterans Home complex will consist of more than 92,000 sq. ft. of buildings.

The largest building by far is the main nursing home building, while two smaller buildings, measuring 3,000 sq. ft. and 2,800 sq. ft., will support maintenance and arts & crafts. The buildings are connected by covered walkways.

Leading to and surrounding the one-story buildings are approximately 200,000 sq. ft. of paved drives and parking areas.

Descant jobsite superintendent Neil Thevenot said after a portion of the concrete slab had been finished in February, his crew began erecting structural steel. The last of the steel was erected in late June.

"As we've worked on the steel in some areas, other phases of the work were going on," Thevenot said. "Drainage, fire line, sewer, electrical and masonry are all going at the same time."

Site drainage proved significant, with a lot of reinforced concrete pipe installed to divert stormwater to the pond.

"About 2,500 lin. ft of RCP ranging from 18 to 36 in. in diameter take the water to the pond site," Thevenot added. "All site drainage goes there." A gazebo will be built over the pond.

As of mid June, the crew at the site "had four patient wings studded up, the administrative area studded up," and subcontractors were installing ductwork, laying masonry and beginning roof construction.

The exterior veneer of the building will consist of 4 ft. of colored split-faced concrete block, 3 ft. of glazed tile and a top band of brick.

The roof consists of metal trusses over all the wings, topped with metal decking, 2 in. of insulation and a standing seam metal roof. The centerpiece of the mechanical phase of the construction consists of chillers in a mechanical courtyard.

Larry Guidry, a principal with architect Guidry-Beazley Architects, said the most notable design features of the main building are the high-pitched ceiling areas within the entranceway and the clerestory windows that line the administrative corridors.

"There's also some exposed decorative steel framing through the corridors of the administrative area," Guidry added.