For this tenant fit out at the Valley Fair Mall in West Valley City, UT the existing floor needed to be raised to different elevations ranging from 19” to 40” above the existing slab. The site also required a variety of handicap accessible ramps making the various levels accessible from the entry level elevation. The void fill needed to be light weight so excessive loading was not placed on the existing floor and structure. EPS12 geofoam, weighing just .75 lbs per cubic foot was chosen by the engineer for the fill. EPS12 has a compression strength of 320 lbs per cubic foot at 1% deformation.
The largest blocks, that were 33-1/2” x 48” x 96”, weighed just 67 pounds, making them easy to handle by one or two people. Installing the foam blocks is a very clean and quiet operation. There is no tamping involved; no loud power tools; just placing the geofoam blocks on the existing slab and sliding them together. Any electrical conduits and plumbing can be installed at the same time as the geofoam. Precut tapered pieces of geofoam were provided for the handicap ramps, reducing installation time.
EPS geofoam is used to raise slabs, fill in sunken lobbies and create
the tiered levels in a theater, church and lecture hall settings. It is
also used in civil applications such as bridge and highway construction
and areas where ther are poor soil conditions.
