Laburnums, McCarthy & Stone’s latest Retirement Living development on Chalkwell Avenue, transforms a former derelict nursing home dating back to 1880 into a modern, vibrant community.
The project required a carefully engineered foundation solution to address challenging ground conditions and partial tree influence across the plot.
The development required a single raft foundation solution to support the Care Home structure. The ground conditions were complex, with Made Ground over River Terrace Deposit (clay, sand, and gravel) above London Clay.
Tree influence and desiccation analysis indicated the southern half of the site would require heave protection, while the northern half, outside tree influence, could be unvoided, offering a more economical solution.
We engineered a mixed piled raft solution covering a total structural area of 991 m², specifically tailored to the site’s variable ground conditions.
Key design considerations included:
The solution ensured long-term structural stability while optimising material use and cost-efficiency.
The foundation installation was completed within an 8-week construction programme, delivering the following benefits:
The project progressed smoothly, adhering to programme timelines while maintaining high standards for quality and safety.
The Chalkwell Avenue project demonstrates the flexibility and efficiency of SPEEDECK’s part voided, part non-voided piled raft solution.
By tailoring the foundation design to site-specific ground conditions and tree influence, the project achieved:
Laburnums now stands as a modern retirement living development, offering residents high-quality homes with views across Chalkwell Park, supported by a foundation system designed for long-term performance.
Doug JohnsonA very good and efficient system for foundations.
