P. Machibroda Engineering Ltd. has been involved in the design of the foundations for the majority of the inland grain terminals that have been constructed since the late 1990’s that are seen dotting the prairie provinces. The raft foundations that support the concrete elevators and adjacent steel storage bins are very heavily loaded and typically require pile foundations to control settlement and/or stand safely. When pile foundations are utilized for support of structures such as these, conventional practice is to design the raft such that all the foundation load is supported on the piles. Where feasible, PMEL has often recommended an innovative design technique that considers load sharing between the piles and raft, which in most cases (ground permitting), results in less piles beneath the structure. Less piles results in costs savings to the project along with preservation of natural resources required in the concrete industry.

Our long track record of success on these projects (in order of 25 years) has led us to be the first choice within the grain handling industry when it comes to geotechnical consultants for their projects.