NSC - National Steel Corporation Plant Complex, Iligan City - Mindanao - Philippines
To illustrate [FS] Foundation Specialists, Inc. Background and Capabilities, we have chosen the aerial picture (here above) of the [NSC] National Steel Corporation Plants' Complex including NSC Port and Harbor, of which Foundation Specialists was the Design and Build General Contractor during the 10 years of the Expansion Plan. In fact, as NSC General Contractor, the works done by [FS] Foundation Specialists, Inc. have successfully encompassed the full spectrum of Civil, Structural, Mechanical, Electrical, Industrial, Deep Foundations & Soil Stabilization,, Land Development, Marine Works, Port & Harbor. FS has built all the new plants shown in the pictures, [machineries were supplied by Blow Knox, Steel Mills' design Supervision and supply of structural steel by US Steel ]. FS also retrofitted the pre-existing plants, has designed and built the Mills' deep Pits [supported by permanently anchored diaphragm walls], built the whole structures of rolling mill from deep foundations to Gantry Cranes and Roof, Hot Mill, Temper Mill, Hot Strip Mill, using Top-Down Construction Technologies, Designed and Built the NSC Port and Harbor Facilities, Piers and the Marginal Wharf , reclaimed land and dredged the harbor area, Built the half kilometer long Finished Goods warehouse and the Finished Goods handling facilities, designed and built the flood control system, erected all steel structures and provided support for the installation of machineries, executed all electrical works for the plants, designed and built all foundation works. including the anchored Diaphragm Walls for the deep Pits. Details and Pictures of the various Works and Projects done for NSC, are Shown in the “Projects” & “Technologies” section.
ALORAGAT BRIDGE over the Aloragat River, MacArthur Highway, between Pozorubio and Binalonan, Pangasinan. The Bridge was built by [FS] Foundation Specialists, Inc. as replacement of the old bridge which, over the years, had suffered multiple partial collapses due to local scouring caused by frequent severe flash floods due to water release during typhoons, from the upstream Binga Dam, When FS was awarded by the Department of Public Works & Highways the JBIC assisted Contract for the Construction of Aloragat Bridge, traffic across the river was confined to a Bayley bridge in need of continuous repairs due to traffic of heavy cargo trucks. Part of FS contract was the construction of a second Bayley bridge and the upgrading and maintenance of the existing one. The two Bayley bridges [visible in picture] had to be designed to traffic of heavy cargo and trailer trucks loaded with cement bags from nearby plants. For the construction of Post-tensioned girders for the Bridge, FS rented a site near the bridge and set up a 75 cubic meters per hour capacity automatic batching plant, cement silos, and casting beds. The batching plant also supplied concrete for the bored piles, the deck slab and other bridge structures. The large diameter Bored Piles were tested by PDA Tests, (Pile Dynamic Analysis) The bridge was inaugurated by the, at that time,, Speaker of the House, Joe De Venecia and by DPWH Secretary Edmundo Mir.
KALAYAAN PUMP-STORAGE HYDROPOWER PROJECT, KALAYAAN, LAGUNA, PH, 1977-1981 Foundation Specialists International LTD started activities in the Philippines in June 1977 with the National Powers Project Kalayaan Hydropower, the first of its kind in the whole of Asia, designed to operate with Reversible Pump Turbines, to produce electricity during the pick hours of the day by usinf the water from Caliraya Lake, and Pumping Back water to Caliraya lake from Laguna de Baye during the night, thus storing energy. To explain the economic advantage of the scheme, Electric Pawer price is high during pick demand hours (10AM to 5 PM, and very low during night-time when demand is very low. The Pump-Storage Scheme is a simple and efficient way of storing energy at low cost and then reselling that stored energy during pick hours demand. Another advantage of that way to store energy is that, thermal plants do not need to shut-down at nigh because of no demand and avoid time consuming and costly morning Restarts, on top of it, when Electric Poer is demanded by the grid, Hydroelectric power can be produced in minutes, by just opening the gates and letting water thru the Turbines, While a Thermal Plant after shut-down needs hours to restart. The Kalayaan Power Plant was Financed by Italy, Designed and supplied by a Consortium of Italian Industries. Foundation Specialists International Ltd. among others, provided the Management of the whole Project, under the name of Coordinator’s Office.
DACUDAO-LAUREL-BUHANGIN FLY-OVER, Davao City, Mindanao. The Dacudao Laurel Buhangin Davao’s flyover, the first one in the whole Island of Mindanao, a Design and Build Contract, was awarded to Foundation Specialists, Inc. by the Department of Public Works & Highways. The site conditions of the Flyover were quite challenging, because the site of ramps and embankment is underlain by a soft clay formation. In order to provide a firm support for the embankment and the ramps, there were three common solutions, all quite expensive, provide extensive number of piles for a settlement free base to the embankments, put the whole flyover on piles , pile caps, columns coping, girders and slabs, or remove the clay formation and provide a compacted backfill. Foundation Specialists, Inc. provided a fort and cheaper alternative method, and consolidated the underlying clay formation using its patented FS Soil Cement Columns System, a deep-mixed jet grout providing high strength soil-cement columns. The Choice of the FS Soil Cement Columns System, made FS Bid very competitive, and in fact FS was awarded the Design and Build Contract for the Davao flyover. The Flyover was inaugurated by President Ramos in 1994. Davao City has used the aerial picture of Dacudao = Laurel - Buhaing Road Interchange (in figure) as the City Icon for several Local events. Durin the same year 1994, Foundation Specialists, Inc. in Mindanao was the General Contractor for the National Steel Corporation in Iligan City, and in Zamboanga Del Norte for DPWH 4th ADB completing the 94 Km Dapitan-Manukan Highway and the 1Km Polo Bridge
ANDA BRIDGE CONNECTING BOLINAO MAINLAND PANGASINAN TO THE ISLAND MUNICIPALITY OF ANDA, in the boundary between the Lingayen Gulf and the West Philippine Sea. Built during the Administration of President Fidel Valdez Ramos, Construction was awarded to Foundation Specialists, Inc., Mobilization started in 1992 and Construction was Completed on February 29, 1996. The completed Bridge was Inaugurated by H.E President Fide. V. Ramos on March 16, 1996: (The aerial picture shown here above was taken on Inauguration day from the Presidential helicopter). ANDA Bridge is a very special bridge with a background story worth to be mentioned: President Ramos who hailed from Lingayen, Pangasinan had promised the people of Anda Island to build a bridge connecting the Anda Island with Bolinao on Mainland Pangasinan, to end the isolation of Anda residents and open up a road link for the delivery of basic services to the Island’s population. The IRR of the ANDA long Bridge over the sea & related approach road project did not make it a candidate for inclusion in the National Budget for DPWH, and Sec. Edmundo Mir, (also from Pangasinan) was consulted by the President on how to reduce sharply the cost of that quite long bridge to be built over the sea. The solution found, (which halved the total bridge cost) was to use, for the bridge’s superstructure, the steel trusses which were removed from Carmen Bridge (Villasis Pangasinan) and from other Bridges which were redesigned and built, after the 1990 Earthquake with reinforced concrete superstructure. At that time Foundation Specialists. Inc had just completed the Full Development of Florida Blanca 1,000,000 Square Meters Resettlement Area for the Pinatubo Refugees, (done at direct cost only, as FS Social contribution to Pinatubo’s eruption victims) and the Design-and-Build Reconstruction of Bridges in Dagupan City, and Pangasinan Province. FS was awarded the ANDA Bridge Contract, the funding of which was not part of the National Budget. The funding of the project was coming directly from the President’s Intelligence Funds’ savings, so we were advised to pace the works in accordance to the funds by and by becoming available, and for that reason the construction took about 4 years to be completed. The first herculean task of FS was the dismantling of all the 50 meter long Steel Trusses, by removing all rivets, sandblasting all steel members, evaluate the suitability of each steel member to be used again, by submitting it to X-Ray examination and color penetration to detect micro-cracks due to fatigue, measuring the members’’ thickness’ and performing all other required field-lab tests. The first problem that came up was that sand blasting using silica sand resulted totally ineffective due to the thickness and hardness of the multi-strata metallic paint accumulated over the years: Silica sand was pulverizing on impact with the hard metallic paint. FS had previously been a contractor for the PASAR Copper Smelter Project in Isabel Leyte, and last work done there was the Copper Slag Out-Loading Pier and Facilities. The copper slag is a iron pellet not suited for metallurgical use, but a very effective substitute for silica sand to clean up heavily (metallic Paint) encrusted metals. FS immediately purchased a shipload of copper slag from PASAR and was thus able, by copper-slag-blasting, to polish, to shining live metal condition, the thousands of tons of the trusses’ structural members. All members with fatigue micro-cracks and those diminished thickness due to corrosion were eliminated, in particular most of the ‘Bottom Cord’ members were found to be severely corroded and were replaced. All in all the steel members discarded and replaced with newly purchased ones, amounted to 200 tons. While the Old Trusses were Dismantled, Copper-slag Blasted, Lab-Tested and Epoxy Painted, Foundation Specialists had erected its automatic Concrete Batching Plant, the big capacity Cement Silos, resurfaced with asphalt concrete the 6 Km access road on Bolinao side , built a Pier extending to deep water in order to provide mooring for the large deck barges while loading and unloading equipment and materials for the execution of the Bridges foundations on bored piles, and the construction, assembly, erection of the Bridge, forming and casting the Bridge’s reinforced slab and sidewalks, had precast and driven the RC Piles for the bridge abutment on Bolinao side, excavated formed and cast the Bridge’s abutment on Anda Side and by means of Bored Piling equipment mounted on several large steel deck-barges assisted by Tag-Boats, had installed temporary tubular pipe piles to establish square holes around the exact piles’ positions, driven the permanent steel casings into the seabed, thru the deep sea waters, drilled (under static Bentonite Suspension) the large diameter bored piles , installed reinforcing bar cages and poured the piles thru Tremie Pipes, formed and Cast the Pile Caps. The assembly of the trusses was done directly in place using barges and temporary support on tubular piles. The assembly of the steel components of trusses was done using high tensile steel bolts, as replacement of the original rivets. Once the installation of the steel trusses was completed, the reinforced concrete bridge slab and side walks were formed and cast, and the final painting of all steel members was done, according to specifications. The ANDA Bridge was inaugurated and opened to vehicular traffic by H.E. President Ramos, in his trademark fashion, by driving his Jeep thru it Anda Bridge was in the 1990s the second longest interisland bridge in the Philippines
NPC LAHAR TRANSMISSION TOWERS BY THE JV OF FS & A-Ω
The JV of Foundation Specialists, Inc. and Alpha Omega, Inc. was awarded by the National Power Corporation the Contract for the Construction, Erection and Stringing of Transmission Lines In the Lahar areas. The path of the transmission line was on swampy areas, the Contract included construction of access to each tower position, the construction of towers’ foundation on large diameter bored piles, cylindrical pile extensions , erection of transmission towers, and stringing of electrical conductors ( NOTE: Pile Extensions as in Picture, to take care of the lahar flow)
PRINCE PLAA II RESIDENTIAL HIGH RISE BUILDING, Dela Rosa Str. Central Business District, Makati City, MM, PH In the middle ‘980s, Foundation Specialists, Inc had promoted the construction of deep basement construction for High Rise Buildings, employing one of FS Top-Down Construction Technologies, the Cast In Place Reinforced Concrete Diaphragm Walls, [DW]. At that time, In PH, DW was only carried by Foundation Specialists, Inc. DW technology enabled the excavation and construction of multi-level underground parking, in soft soil formations with high water table, and in areas already heavily built up, next to other buildings with one or no basement at all. Foundation Specialists, Inc. [FS] had already extensively used the Cast in Place Diaphragm Walls Technology for deep Pit Construction of Industrial Plants, Wharfs, Dry Docks , Cofferdams, Earth Dams’ Core and for Impervious Underground Curtains for Dams, starting from 1977 for the Kalayaan Pump Storage Hydropower Project in Laguna. Developers and Structural Engineers saw the advantages of the DW Technologies of FS, and high rise Buildings started to be designed with multi-level underground basements, which took care of the demand for parking spaces for the residents. Using Cast In Place RC DW executed under static Bentonite suspension, FS has built deep multi-level basements in Manila, Pasay , Paranaque, Makati.. Several Developers then requested FS to build also the High Rise Building on top of the Deep Underground Basements and Prince Plaza II was one of those buildings. Built on top of a six level underground structure. Prince Plaza II (PPII) was the first Luxury Condo Building made mostly of Studio Type and One Bedroom Apartments, built within Commercial and Business Centers. The success of PPII opened the way to a proliferation of such Buildings. PPII is a large building, 26 storeys high, with 6 level underground levels, 5 levels used for car parking. Swimming pools and other amenities are on top of the 26th storeys. Two towers, separated by a seismic joint, form the very elegant building. Entirely built by Foundation Specialists, Inc, as General Contractor FS has built several high rise buildings, and, same as FS has done for Bridges, FS has only accepted buildings’’ construction contracts inclusive of buildings’ foundations, insofar as the safety of a building is not only assured by a strongly built structure, but needs strong foundations, built to resist strong earthquakes without damage.Prince Plaza II Residential High-Rise Building, Dela Rosa Str. Central Business District, Makati City, MM, PH In the middle ‘980s, Foundation Specialists, Inc had promoted the construction of deep basement construction for High Rise Buildings, employing one of FS Top-Down Construction Technologies, the Cast In Place Reinforced Concrete Diaphragm Walls, [DW]. At that time, In PH, DW was only carried by Foundation Specialists, Inc. DW technology enabled the excavation and construction of multi-level underground parking, in soft soil formations with high water table, and in areas already heavily built up, next to other buildings with one or no basement at all. Foundation Specialists, Inc. [FS] had already extensively used the Cast in Place Diaphragm Walls Technology for deep Pit Construction of Industrial Plants, Wharfs, Dry Docks , Cofferdams, Earth Dams’ Core and for Impervious Underground Curtains for Dams, starting from 1977 for the Kalayaan Pump Storage Hydropower Project in Laguna. Developers and Structural Engineers saw the advantages of the DW Technologies of FS, and high rise Buildings started to be designed with multi-level underground basements, which took care of the demand for parking spaces for the residents. Using Cast In Place RC DW executed under static Bentonite suspension, FS has built deep multi-level basements in Manila, Pasay , Paranaque, Makati.. Several Developers then requested FS to build also the High Rise Building on top of the Deep Underground Basements and Prince Plaza II was one of those buildings. Built on top of a six level underground structure. Prince Plaza II (PPII) was the first Luxury Condo Building made mostly of Studio Type and One Bedroom Apartments, built within Commercial and Business Centers. The success of PPII opened the way to a proliferation of such Buildings. PPII is a large building, 26 storeys high, with 6 level underground levels, 5 levels used for car parking. Swimming pools and other amenities are on top of the 26th storeys. Two towers, separated by a seismic joint, form the very elegant building. Entirely built by Foundation Specialists, Inc, as General Contractor FS has built several high rise buildings, and, same as FS has done for Bridges, FS has only accepted buildings’’ construction contracts inclusive of buildings’ foundations, insofar as the safety of a building is not only assured by a strongly built structure, but needs strong foundations, built to resist strong earthquakes without damage.
PASIG RIVER BRIDGE OF LRT-1 [In Picture the SOUTH PIER UNDER CONSTRUCTION] From antiquity the big Cities around the world , were built around navigable rivers, which granted natural secure haven for ships moorings and the capacity to bring goods and heavy loads directly to the hearth of cities, Rome was built on the Tiber, Pisa and Florence on the Arno River, London on the Thames River, New York on the Hudson River, Washington on Potomac, Shanghai on the Yellow river, Paris over the Sein River : Manila was built around the Pasig River. The LRT-1 Bridge over Pasig River was the last work of LRT-1 to be executed, because of the many requirements to be satisfied by the Design of the Bridges’ Foundations, by the Pile Caps’ Special Requirements , including Mass , Orientation and Protection against Impacts by the Large cargo Barges descending the river at speed during Floods The Pasig River is a navigable water way, with intense traffic of Cargo Barges & Fuel tank barges. The LRT-1 Bridge intersects Pasig River at the entrance of a sharp curve, which required a design of the Piers’ positions and orientation such that would not interfere with the passage of the heavy large barges both self propelled and pulled by tug-boats, passing thru the Pasig River. From the Position of the 2 river piers depended also the Design of the 3 spans bridge’s superstructure Foundation Specialists as Member and Manager of the JV which was awarded the redesign of the Structural Deep Foundations and of the Piers of LRT-1, including the formulation of the Seismic Design Protocol for the whole structure, requested by the Insurance Companies of the Belgian Consortium of Industries which Financed, Supplied and Supervised the Construction of LRT-1.
FS GIRDER LAUNCHER, was the first of its kind, in the Philippines, when FS Purchased it directly from the Manufacturer, COMTEC TCS of Italy, a Pioneer and Industry Leader in the design and construction of special equipment for Bridges. Viaducts, Skyways and Elevated Railway System. Foundation Specialists, Inc. purchased the Girder Launcher when awarded by MTD the contract for the construction of the Bridges along the South Luzon Expressway “SLEX” in 2008, and in particular the demolition of the 2 bridges and replacement of it with 3 bridges Spanning Hundreds of meters 30 miters above the water of the San Juan Water Reservoir of Calamba City, THE PICTURE SHOWS THE LAUNCHING OF A 40 METERS LONG, POST-TENSIONED AASHTO GIRDER, (Precast and Post-Tensioned by FS), BEING INSTALLED BY FS GIRDER LAUNCHER ON THE NEWLY CONSTRUTED PIERS OF THE THREE COMPONENTS SAN JUAN BRIDGE OF THE SOUTH LUZON EXPRESSWAY.
TRAMO FLYOVER BRIDGE, LOAD TEST. FS PERFORMED ON THE 80m LONG CURVED SPAN OVER THE MRT AND EDSA A FULL LOAD TEST WITH MAINTAINED LOAD AND MEASUREMENT OF DEFLECTION AT THE CENTER OF THE SPAN. THE LOAD TEST, CARRIED OUT BY LOADING THE LONG SPAN WITH FULLY LOADED ith GRAVEL TRANSIT MIXERS, FULLY LOADED WITH STEEL, TRAILERS AND CARGO TRUCKS, FILLING UP, BUMPER TO BUMPER THE ENTIRE BRIDGE SPAN, WAS NOT IN CONTRACT, AND AS DONE AS A DEMONSTRATION OF THE GOOD QUALITY AND PERFORMANCE OF FS WORK. THE LOAD TEST WAS WITNESSED BY THE BUREAU OF CONSTRUCTION OF THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS. TO OUR KNOWLEDGE ONLY FS HS SO FAR TESTED ITS BRIDGES BY FULL LOAD BEDORE OPENING TO TRAFFIC..
THE LOAD TEST OG THE LONG SPAN OF THE TRAMO FLYOCER BRIDGE OVER THE MRT AND EDSA WAS WITNESSED BY THE BUREAU OF DESIGN OF THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS AND HIGHWAYS