structures as piled foundations and diaphragm walls. Enercret’s first energy foundation project was completed in 1984, said Bernhard Widerin, product manager for Enercret. Since the late 1980s, the Vienna University of Technology has collaborated with Enercret and others on ground investigations (including freezing-thawing tests), design optimization and site installation/supervision, in-situ measurements and other research. During the 1990s, Enercret began taking on larger projects including hospitals and office buil- dings, and has completed some 1,000 projects in Europe. In the last decade, other companies began using the technology, Widerin continued. “In central Europe, this technol- ogy is now an approved system, meaning we don’t have to explain [the technology] each time [a project is considered.]” Brandl said the geology in Austria and in most European regions is suitable for this technology. Even in the extreme south or north of Europe, where seasonal energy balance can be challenging, local ground properties make it possible. Emerging Interest, Research in U.S., U.K. In the U.S., energy foundations “are applic- able in any climate or region, including those where wind and/or solar power have limited effectiveness.” said Guney Olgun, Ph.D., Virginia Tech. Co-author of “DFI Supports U.S. Energy Pile Research Efforts,” in Jan/Feb 2012 Deep Foundations, Olgun said the overall aim of the National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded research is “to develop simplified design guidelines for widespread and efficient implementation of this new technology in the U.S.” Research in the U.K. began soon after the first energy foundation projects were completed there some 10 years ago. According to Peter Smith, Cementation company has been installing Energy Piles since 2001, when Cementation Skanska U.K. Energy Pile projects: Keble College and Pallant House Gallery. 84 • DEEP FOUNDATIONS • SEPT/OCT 2012 Skanska’s geothermal manager, his ® partnered with Enercret to install the first ® U.S. - U.K. Collaborations Art Stable, an urban living/work space in Seattle (Photo: Benjamin Benschneider, Olson Kundig Architects) From 2003 through 2005, Cementation Skanska participated in research examining ground-coupled heating and cooling achieved via buried closed-loop pipe circuit integrated into a building’s structural piles. Led by Arup Geotechnics, Cementation Skanska collaborated with the Environ- ment Agency, University of Birmingham and University of Newcastle in develop- ment and trials of geothermal driven cast in-situ piles (DCIS), continuous flight auger (CFA) piles, mini-piles, conductivity and site investigation techniques. The research, partially funded by the U.K. Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Partners in Innovation (PII), concluded that not only can heat pump systems reduce carbon emissions, but the government incentives available make heat pump systems economically viable. Cementation Skanska has since increased its piling technique complexity, installing larger and deeper piles and diaphragm walls. At the same time, Geothermal International (GI), Coventry, England, was emerging as a leading designer and installer of GSHP systems. Tony Amis, GI’s business development director, said GI has been involved in 35 energy foundation projects, and has installed most of the energy foundations in the U.K., including: small/large diameter bored piles, piles under bentonite or dry bore, CFA piles, driven precast piles and diaphragm walls. Inserting high-density geothermal tubes through auger-cast structural piles at Art Stable (Photo: Kulchin Foundation Drilling) Projects in North America The first documented energy foundation in North America was completed in 1998. However, fewer than 10 such projects have been documented since. Lake-Front Hotel, Geneva, NY. A 149-room hotel, features a ground loop partially incorporated into the building’s structural pilings and a heat pump water heating system. “North American Monitoring of a Hotel with Room Sized In December 2011, GI acquired Chicago-based Endurant Energy to become GI Endurant Energy, LLC. GI Endurant has since opened U.S. offices in Chicago, Seattle, New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. Five foundation drilling companies have joined GI’s network: Kulchin Foundation Dri l l ing, Redmond, Wash. ; Thatcher Foundations, Chicago; Geot t le Deep Foundat ions, Cincinnati; Cajun Constructors, Baton Rouge; and Condon- Johnson, San Francisco, according to Thomas Lapham, GI Endurant senior vice president. Mike Wysockey, president of Thatcher Foundations, said his company joined GI Endurant’s network “to get tied in with experts who have years of successful projects behind them. [The technology] will grow as people get more comfortable with it. I’m certain that in the energy market overall that geothermal as a whole and energy piles as a whole are heading in the right direction and will be a bigger part of our future.”
