Another common application of geofoam blocks in civil engineering projects is the construction of grade-raising fills and stepped fills in indoor and outdoor areas of buildings and structures, including residential and commercial buildings, industrial facilities, underground parking structures, shopping centers, theaters, cinemas, conference halls, stadiums and similar facilities.
For newly constructed buildings, incorporating geofoam blocks into the design of grade-raising fills above structural slabs can reduce design loads and consequently allow more economical structural member sizes to be achieved.
In addition to new construction, changes in the design or intended use of existing structures may also create a need for fill placement above structural slabs. If conventional fill materials are used, the additional loads may not have been considered in the original structural design, potentially requiring strengthening of the load-bearing system. In such cases, grade-raising fills can be constructed using geofoam blocks, thereby avoiding structural strengthening works that would otherwise increase project costs. One example of this type of application is the grade-raising fill constructed in 2012 in the courtyard of the Medipol Mega Hospitals Complex in Bağcılar, Istanbul (Aliyazıcıoğlu and Özer, 2015; 2016).
In addition to grade-raising applications, geofoam blocks are also used for stepped fill construction both inside and outside buildings (Figure 1). Numerous projects in the United States have utilized geofoam blocks to construct stepped seating arrangements in cinemas and theaters. Examples include the Kerasotes Theatre in Chicago, Illinois; Megaplex 13 in Ogden, Utah; and Harkins Theatre in Denver, Colorado (ACH Foam website). The use of geofoam blocks enabled rapid and straightforward construction in these projects. In addition to stepped seating in cinemas, theaters, conference halls and stadiums, geofoam blocks are also used in the construction of indoor and outdoor stairs and ramps.
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REFERENCES
- Aliyazıcıoğlu H, Özer AT (2016) The use of EPS-block geofoam as a lightweight fill in flat roof applications: A case study, 6th European Geosynthetics Congress, Ljubljana, Slovenia, September 25–28, 2016, 743–750.
- Aliyazıcıoğlu H, Özer AT (2015) First geofoam application in our country: Lightweight fill system over the parking structure of Medipol Mega Hospital Complex. EPS News, An official publication of Turkish EPS Industry Association, Year 5, Issue 19. In Turkish.