Seminole Hard Rock


Tampa, Florida

BAUER Foundation Corp. was awarded the contract to install the deep foundations for the new 17-story Hotel Tower and Low Rise Casino Expansion at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Tampa, Florida. The site is underlain by the Florida Limestone geology known to be quite challenging, and is surrounded by occupied existing buildings and infrastructure. To overcome the diffi cult subsurface conditions including voids and zones of high permeability within the limestone, and to successfully complete the foundation installation without impact to the surrounding buildings and casino operation, the designer Langan Engineering together with BAUER Foundation Corp. were required to adapt both the design and installation techniques during construction.


The scope of work included 147 nos temporarily cased 36" and 48" diameter drilled shafts to depths down to 230-feet below ground surface, 76 nos 9-5/8" diameter permanently cased micropiles to depths of 150', and more than 300 nos 18" diameter Augered-Cast-In-Place (ACIP) piles to depths up to 125'.


Before drilled shaft and micropile production commenced, a comprehensive pile testing program was initiated. Two 36" and 48" test shafts were constructed and tested by Osterberg Cell, plus 6 nos 18" ACIP piles and one 9-5/8" Micropile which were conventionally tested.