General Contractor Rycon Construction recently awarded geotechnical engineering and construction firm Nicholson Construction the foundation contract for a $63 million, 16-story apartment building near VCU’s campus.

The new, 168-unit building will be located at West Grace Street in downtown Richmond on what is currently a surface parking lot. The building, owned by Pinecrest Apartments, will include units with up to four bedrooms, a rooftop terrace, a gym and some retail space.

Nicholson’s scope of work included the design and construction of two types of augercast piles. The design included adapting the pile reinforcement to the actual loading conditions across the building. In total, 306 augercast piles will be installed as foundation elements to support the slab-on-grade foundation to depths of approximately 80 feet. The work will be performed as a team effort across the Midwestern and Eastern regions.

“This is a unique job for us because we teamed up with our Midwest group to tap into their augercast pile expertise,” said Dino Kartofilis, Senior Vice President, Nicholson Construction Eastern Region.  “It’s always great to join forces with other groups in the company to bring our clients the best possible team.”

Estimated completion for the project is summer of 2024.

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