Aerial view of CNC Foundations installing rigid inclusions at a Gastonia, NC logistics center site using Soilmec drill rigs and a concrete pump truck. The construction site is staged for ground improvement operations across a long corridor.
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CNC Foundations crew installing aggregate piers on a steep slope using Soilmec equipment and tracked loaders in Gastonia, NC. Ground improvement methods stabilize soils for a 280,000 SF industrial logistics facility.
Close-up of CNC Foundations rigid inclusion installation with a Soilmec SR-45 rig, concrete pump line, and safety personnel on site in Gastonia, NC. Deep foundation drilling enhances soil bearing capacity.
Panoramic shot of CNC Foundations project site in Gastonia, NC showing aggregate pier layout, drill rigs, and slope stabilization for a 280,000 square foot logistics warehouse.

AGGREGATE PIER & RIGID INCLUSION INSTALLATION FOR A 280K SF LOGISTICS CENTER IN GASTONIA, NC

  • Gastonia, North Carolina

CNC Foundations (CNC) delivered ground improvement services using both aggregate piers and rigid inclusions to support the MSE walls for a new industrial development in Gastonia, NC. This dual-system design was strategically selected to accommodate highly variable subsurface conditions, ensuring efficient load transfer and long-term settlement control across the site.

Developed by Crow Holdings Industrial, the project required a flexible, performance-driven foundation solution suitable for both shallow and deeper improvement zones. CNC’s ability to tailor ground improvement systems—optimizing where shallow or deeper reinforcement was needed—helped maintain schedule certainty, control costs, and reduce site disruption.

Project Details

  • Owner: Crow Holdings Industrial
  • General Contractor: Poettker Construction Co
  • Structural Engineer: ECS Southeast
  • Project Timeline: 18 Production Days
  • Project Size: 280,819 sq ft
  • Design Bearing Capacity: [Insert if applicable]
  • Service: Vibratory Stone Columns – Aggregate Piers & Rigid Inclusions
  • Install Numbers:
    • 350+ Aggregate Piers at over 9,900 linear feet
    • 170+ Rigid Inclusions at over 5,250 linear feet
  • Market Sector: Transportation

The developer required a ground improvement system capable of supporting heavy MSE walls on a site with complex and variable soil profiles, including surficial organics and zones of partially weathered rock. CNC Foundations was challenged to deliver a geotechnical solution that could adapt across the site while maintaining high production efficiency, minimizing environmental disruption, and meeting strict load-bearing and settlement criteria.

Subsurface investigation revealed:

  • Surficial organic-laden soils
  • Fill soils: Sandy silt (ML), elastic silt (MH)
  • Residual soils: Elastic silt (MH), sandy silt (ML), lean clay (CL), silty sand (SM), clayey sand (SC)
  • Partially Weathered Rock (PWR) sampled as silty sand (SM)

These conditions required a hybrid ground improvement strategy to densify loose soils and transfer loads into deeper, more competent strata.

CNC Foundations installed a combination of aggregate piers and rigid inclusions to address the site’s geotechnical variability:

  • aggregate piers were used in zones with moderate soil strength to improve bearing capacity and control settlement.
  • rigid inclusions were installed in areas with soft or highly compressible soils and higher loads to transfer loads into deeper, stable layers.

By combining and displacement auger techniques, CNC delivered a high-performance ground improvement system that met the project’s demanding geotechnical requirements. The approach resulted in:

  • Enhanced bearing capacity to support heavy structural loads
  • Controlled settlement within strict engineering limits
  • Low-vibration installation with minimal spoil generation
  • Fast, efficient execution across a complex site

All work was completed on schedule, with load testing verifying that performance goals were fully achieved.