‘[Falling behind] would delay occupancy of the building and it would just multiply the associated costs, especially with concrete.’ – Chris Aspegren, project manager, Berger Excavating

 

Chris Aspegren, project manager for Berger Excavating, checks location footings using a Topcon
HiPer Lite+ rover unit and
a FC-200 Pocket 3D field monitor.

Construction of a two-story, 79,000-square-foot foundation for a new police station in Hoffman Estates, Ill., began during the second week of October 2008 and was scheduled for completion by the end of the year—an 11-week timeframe.

The critical milestone was to have the footings and the foundation in prior to December 31, prior to the onset of severe winter weather. If this was not done, the owner—the Village of Hoffman Estates—would incur significant costs from the need to use winter concreting practices and materials such as air-entraining admixtures. Delaying the excavation until February or March of 2009 would make achieving completion by June of 2010 virtually impossible.

The most challenging part of the site-preparation work, from a grading standpoint, was the underground parking area, which has two levels. A Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) gave Berger Excavating, Wauconda, Ill., a significant productivity boost in grading the parking area and basement and the entire five-acre-plus site.

Chris Aspegren, project manager, reports that the surveyor came out to the site once, after the full excavation was made but prior to footing excavation to verify footing locations, and determined that the footings and columns were located within hundredths of an inch of their locations according to the official survey. Aspegren pointed out that the grade-checking was critical because any necessary adjustments would have been required prior to footing excavations.

Without the Topcon equipment, “We would have had a surveyor on site every day, staking and verifying the grades,” Aspegren said. “But basically, he set the control on the site, we took it from there, and when we were done, he came in and verified the readings.”

Aspegren estimates the cost savings provided by this technology in the tens of thousands of dollars.

Company: Berger Excavating

Location: Wauconda, Illinois

Project: New police station

Location: Hoffman Estates, Ill

Scope: 30,000 cubic yards from 32,000-square-foot excavation for $28 million 79,000-square-foot facility

Topcon Products:
3DMC dual antenna,
3DMC software,
HiPer Lite+ base station antenna,
3-D Office software,
HiPer Lite+ rover unit,
FC-200 Pocket 3-D field monitor

Topcon Dealer:
Positioning Solutions Company
Carol Stream, Ill.
www.1psc.com
(BELOW LEFT) Recycled stones are spread at 3/4 inch on the foundation base. (BELOW RIGHT) The reference display in the cab uses a 3D model developed from the “rover” antenna.


Topcon’s 3D GPS+ Machine Control

Topcon’s 3D-GPS+ system has the ability to track both GPS and GLONASS and can be integrated with your sonic and/or laser system.

Topcon has long set the standard of accuracy, durability, and affordability in machine control and the automation of construction equipment. All Topcon machine control products are scalable and upgradeable. Regardless of the type of hardware you use, Topcon has a machine control product that will increase your equipment’s efficiency, accuracy, and reduce the amount of set-up and down-time significantly.

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