Abstract

Hey Everyone,

Here is my abstract for my research project. This is only the abstract part of it, the final hard copy will contain a graphic and references cited page. If you would like to view my references so far, they have been updated on the right side of my blog.

Artifical Islands from Reclaimed Land

This report is to help determine how to design an artificial island off the coast of Vancouver, B.C., from reclaimed land that is structurally stable enough for residential homes. With global warming increasing, the water levels in the oceans and seas are continually rising, resulting in the loss of land and homes on the shore lines of the world's oceans and seas. With the help of advances in building technology associated with reclaiming land, these losses of real estate can be avoided, and can even create more valuable real estate for over populated areas.

Reclaimed land sites can be accomplished by methods such as diking and filling. This report will look at these methods. In order to make sure the land is structurally stable enough for a residential house, there are many factors to consider which include the type of fill and the actual site of the project. The site of the project is important as no two sites in the world will be completely identical, resulting in different wave conditions, currents, tides, water depths and land characteristics. All these factors will have a significant impact on the type of sand fill that can be used on the site, the protection of the site from the elements and the type of project that can be constructed. Some types of fill and sites will be more structurally stable and allow for larger forces on the land.

Reclaimed fill is usually done with sand fill. As with the location of the site, the sand fill also has many factors that contribute to its structural stability. The characteristics of the sand, grain size, particle size distribution, source of the sand, and the method in which the sand is placed all have significant impacts on the relative density of the sand fill. The relative density of the reclaimed sand fill is the most important factor for a reclaimed land site. It has a direct correlation of the design of the foundation that can be constructed on the fill, which in return has a direct correlation to the size and height of the home that can be constructed on the site.

This report will focus mainly on the structural characteristics of the sand fill and the resulting design of a home on the land. The report will determine the strongest structurally stable fill that can be constructed using data for Vancouver, B.C., and with specific attention paid to the factors discussed earlier. Using that information, and with the help of the British Columbia Building Code 2006, a foundation will be designed that is applicable to the site. From the foundation size, the resulting size and height of a home will be determined such that the home will meet and exceed the requirements of the B.C.B.C. 2006.