Sam Adams PA Brewery

Project Overview

In recent years, the Samuel Adams Brewery in Breinigsville, Pennsylvania has undergone over $100 million in expansions and improvements. The underlying limestone and associated karst features (sinkholes, rock pinnacles, raveled zones, top of rock variability) presented various foundation support challenges for new development. GeoStructures thus christened a new approach in foundation design which focused on detailed subsurface site characterization, devised compaction grouting to mitigate sinkhole issues, and prepared the subgrade for cost-effective mat foundations, ultimately resulting in a dramatic reduction in foundation costs.

Over the past several years, GeoStructures has served as the Geotechnical Engineer of Record for a dozen capital projects at the Samuel Adams Brewery facility. Our services included geotechnical investigations, design and oversight of compaction grouting operations to stabilize sinkholes and karst-related weakness, and construction inspections of shallow and mat foundations. The use of compaction grouting remediated local weak zones in the soil and rock, increased bearing capacity, and made shallow foundations feasible for the various proposed structures (as opposed to costly, deep foundations). The projects included:

  • 48 new storage silos (75-ft high)
  • A new refrigeration building
  • Refrigeration building expansion
  • Pasteurizer pad expansion
  • Nitrogen tanks and vaporizer pad
  • New water tanks
  • F cellar slab-on-grade evaluation
  • Receiving bay expansion
  • New alcohol tanks
  • Air-cooled chiller
  • CIP building
  • Main building addition

Geotechnical Laboratory Testing

Soil Improvement Techniques

Sinkhole Evaluation and Remediation

Drilling Services and Subsurface Investigations

Our Comprehensive Project Workflow: Step-by-Step Guide

01.

Initial Consultation and Client Needs Assessment

Our team responds promptly to your inquiries, ensuring timely communication and immediate attention to your project needs. We work closely with clients to understand all project requirements, ensuring that we capture every detail and objective from the start.

02.

Development of Work Plan

Our expert project managers extend innovative problem-solving to project planning, resulting in technically-sound, cost-effective work plans to better serve our clients.

03.

Project Proposal and Agreement

We provide a detailed project proposal outlining the scope of work, fee schedule, and agreement terms. The project begins once the proposal is approved.

04.

Execution and Quality Assurance

Our highly skilled team of principals, project managers, engineers, and field staff execute the project with precision, maintaining open communication to ensure alignment with client expectations. Each project undergoes a rigorous quality check by our team of licensed professional engineers, ensuring all deliverables meet our high standards of excellence.

05.

Project Delivery and Invoicing

Upon completion, we deliver the final project and issue an invoice for the completed work, ensuring full transparency and satisfaction.