Baseball Stadium Dome Built with Helical Piles

The Canac Baseball Stadium dome project is the largest baseball infrastructure undertaking in Canada since the construction of the Toronto Blue Jays Stadium. The inflatable structure covers the synthetic surface of the baseball stadium in Québec City, Canada, making the stadium available year-round, including during the cold winter months. The canvas is hooked with anchors located in a concrete base, under the synthetic surface, and stabilized by helical piles. A total of 14 steel cables are anchored around the dome, in order to help it keep its original shape. The dome’s slope and fabric type are designed for the snow to melt or fall on the outer walls, therefore limiting accumulation.

Thanks to this new 80-feet high dome infrastructure, the hours of the stadium’s use have been extended from 450 to 3000 hours per year (6.5 times more). The stadium’s use now goes beyond the summer baseball season. It will be able to host recreational soccer and Ultimate Frisbee leagues, during the year, as well as being available for the general population to rent.

Year: 2016/2017

Dealer: Techno Pieux Québec Est Inc.

Engineering Firm: Consumaj Experts-Conseils

Customer: Québec City, Canada

Location: 100, rue du Cardinal Maurice Roy – Stade Canac – Québec City, Québec, Canada

General Contractor: NMP Golf Construction

Project objectives: Concrete foundation support for installation of a seasonal dome

Challenges:

• Winter installation (December 2016)
• Restricted installation time
• Installation of angle piles
• Use of large diameter helix

Soil Type: Sandy with some silt and traces of medium size gravel. Anchoring piles in a layer of medium-sized sand at a depth of ± 7 m (23')

Advantages on other Traditional Methods:

• Reduced noise level
• Installation Speed
• Cost

Materials used:

• Post model P4HD (4" / 101,6 mm diameter) – 32 units. Use of the double helix, 24’’ and 30’’
• Post model P3 (3.5" / 88.9 mm diameter) – 116 units. Use of the double helix, 20’’ and 24’’

Equipment: ET-1

Torque per pile: 19 600 N.m. for the P4HD and 11 500 N.m. for the P3

Engineer's specification requirements:

• P4HD
  Piles capable of withstanding service loads of 84 kN (18,900 lbs) and 164 kN (36,800 lbs) in ultimate condition
• P3
  Piles capable of withstanding service load in compression of 104 kN (23,400 lbs) (130 kN at ultimate (29,250 lbs)) and 73 kN (16,304 lbs) (120 kN in ultimate condition (26,980 lbs))

Plates: Square 6" x 6" with welded rebars 8" to 14" long.

Average Depth of helical piles:

• P3: 19′
• P4HD: 27’

Structure Details Based on Piles: Concrete foundations on the dome perimeter

Installation Time: 3 weeks

Number of people on the building site: 6 people