Building the foundation for Allegiant stadium in Las Vegas.

The Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas was originally designed using drilled shafts, similar to the foundations below the majority of the high rise buildings in the area.  Drilled shafts have been used almost exclusively for highly loaded structures in the Las Vegas Valley due to its variable soil conditions and its multiple, inconsistent “caliche” lenses varying from a few inches to several feet and strength from 1,000 to 15,000 psi. Due to cost and schedule considerations on such a fast-track project, The Mortenson-McCarthy JV inquired about an alternate deep foundation system. Malcolm Drilling submitted an alternate approach replacing all 24 in Drilled Shafts with 24 in CFA Piles aka Auger Cast Piles resulting in substantial cost and schedule savings. Although CFA Piles were not a typical foundation system used in the Las Vegas valley due to the complex soil conditions, Malcolm was confident that with their powerful equipment and adequate tooling, CFA piles could in fact be a viable option and benefit the project. 

After a successful test pile program, and confirmation that the aggressive schedule could be met, Malcolm Drilling was awarded the installation of 1,650 piles in little over 2 months.  Although the aggressive schedule was a feat in itself, the ongoing design effort complicated the installation, but Malcolm Drilling personnel worked very closely with the design team to ensure the piles were installed in the correct locations and to the correct lengths.