Building Vibration and Structural Investigation

The Town of Picture Butte is requesting quotations from qualified engineering consultants to investigate noticeable vibration within the commercial building located at 120 4th Street North, Picture Butte, Alberta.
The building was constructed in 1981 and is located approximately 5 metres from Highway 25. Noticeable vibration is experienced within the building when vehicles, particularly heavier vehicles, travel past the building on Highway 25.

The Town wishes to determine the cause, magnitude and significance of the vibration and whether it indicates any concern with the building's structural integrity, foundation, soil conditions or other components of the building/site.

Primary Objective
The primary objective of this assignment is to answer the following questions:
1.        What is causing the noticeable vibration at 120 4th Street North when traffic travels along Highway 25?
2.        Does the condition indicate any structural, foundation, soil or other concern requiring action?
3.        What are the solutions in order to remediate the problems?
4.        What are the expected costs to implement the solutions to remediate the problems?

The consultant should undertake sufficient investigation, including intrusive investigation where warranted, to provide a professional engineering opinion regarding the cause and significance of the observed vibration.

Quotation
The quotation shall identify:
•        Proposed scope and methodology.
•        Cost of the initial investigation.
•        Cost of vibration monitoring, if applicable.
•        Cost of anticipated intrusive investigation, if applicable.
•        Cost of the final engineering report.
•        Any additional anticipated costs.
•        Hourly rates for additional work, if applicable.
•        Estimated timeframe to complete the investigation.

Consultants are encouraged to propose a staged approach where appropriate. The Town's preference is to avoid unnecessary destructive investigation while ensuring that sufficient investigation is undertaken to determine the cause of the vibration.

Consultant Qualifications
The consultant should have demonstrated experience with:
•        Structural investigation of existing commercial buildings.
•        Building vibration assessment and monitoring.
•        Investigation of structural and foundation deficiencies.
•        Intrusive/destructive investigations of existing buildings.
•        Traffic-induced or ground-borne vibration, preferably.
•        Creating cost estimates for required remediation work.