Andador turístico de lujo con geosintéticos

Study cases
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Luxury tourist walker with geosynthetics

Luxury tourist walker with geosynthetics

Introduction

Un hotel de lujo en México tenía como objetivo crear un lugar de esparcimiento a través de un andador de aspecto natural en medio del mar para que sus huéspedes pudieran disfrutar de una experiencia especial al caminar sobre arena fina mientras contemplan una hermosa vista y se calientan con el fuego de una gran fogata.

Esto implicaba la construcción de un camino en medio del mar, sobre las rocas, que tenía que resistir el fuerte oleaje, además de cumplir con los altos estándares de seguridad, lujo y estética del hotel.

Trouble

The construction of a walker that would meet the objectives of the hotel implied several technical challenges that varied according to the type of material that was proposed to be used. At the same time, the work had to meet the high standards of safety, quality and luxury in design.

Among the various technical problems was maintaining the stability of the walker, resisting the force of the waves that caused a constant lateral displacement of the stones on the surface. In addition, all the materials that had been considered to be used at the beginning of the project, such as wood and stone slabs, had problems of porosity and filtration, so that the water of the waves that passed between the stones could seep underneath and destabilize the path .

In addition to the destabilization problem, the seepage of the water caused by the waves was also going to damage the electricity and gas installations that were required to light the road at night and keep the fire burning.

Therefore, the material to be used had to have a considerable weight to avoid destabilizing the walker and protect the wiring, as well as prevent the passage of water underneath.

The challenge

El reto era ofrecer la solución más adecuada para evitar que el oleaje desplazara las rocas y evitar que la filtración del agua afectara el camino, asegurando la estabilidad, funcionalidad y estética del andador.

Otro reto a resolver era que el espesor de la construcción no podía superar los 40cm de altura para no rebasar la altura de la roca existente, ya que al superar esa altura el andador ya no estaría dentro de la zona protegida por las rocas de coraza del rompeolas conocido como “The Jetty”.

La zona es de difícil acceso, ya que el hotel se ubica en la cuesta de una montaña de cara al mar. Además, es una construcción de bajo impacto ambiental, por lo que ingresar grandes cargas de materiales de construcción suponía otro reto importante.

Finalmente, sólo se tenían 3 meses para acabar la obra y estuviera lista para la inauguración del hotel.

Solution

Se planteó una solución consistente en (1) la colocación de contenedores Geotube® de circunferencia 9.4m como una estructura que funcionaría por gravedad y que tendría el peso suficiente (2 toneladas por metro aprox.) para mantener la estabilidad y equilibrio del andador ante los empujes por el oleaje y variaciones del nivel del mar; y (2) geotextil no tejido para la separación de estratos, protección de

las instalaciones de servicios y control de erosión en los laterales del andador en contacto con las rocas.

It was decided to use this solution with Geotube® because it guaranteed the functionality and aesthetics of the walker, as well as the safety of the hotel users, since walking on it, in case the sand was displaced, did not imply any risk for them. In addition to this, the color of the Geotube® blended with the color of the sand, thus providing the required aesthetic appearance.

Geotube® technology allows the textile containers to be filled with materials from the site, in this case, with sand, which avoided entering large loads of other materials into an area that is difficult to access. Another advantage of this technology is that it minimizes maintenance on the sand surface of the walker.

The Geotube® containers were made to measure, of the width and height required so that the complete solution did not occupy more than 40 cm in height; Its traditional oval section design had to be modified as a rectangular section was required to fill the full width of the walker.

Because the walker is not straight, but circular, the solution required 15 custom-made Geotube® containers to cover the length of the walker and achieve the curved stroke (12 11.4m containers and 3 7.6m containers).

The flat ends design (Flat Ends®) patented by TenCate® facilitated this solution, since it allows placing a Geotube® container next to another without leaving spaces between each one, avoiding losses due to overlap losses, undercutting problems, and ensuring its stability.

The fixing of the concrete slabs on the sides of the walker would be carried out with the support of rods that would serve as anchors. The rods would completely pass through the geocontainer, preventing damage to service facilities, and would be attached to the support rock. Between the slab and the geocontainer, a marine grade sealant would be applied to the drilling site of the support rod to prevent leakage of sand from the fill.

Process

The ground was cleaned and leveled, making a refinement to the existing stone on the walker. Subsequently, the non-woven geotextile (Mirafi® S3200) was installed along the axis of the walker, drilling it with the support rods, and considering a surplus of material to later wrap the sides of the walker up to the height where the concrete slabs will be. at the ends and a layer of granular filler was placed.
The electricity and gas service pipelines were installed, and another non-woven geotextile (Mirafi® 180N) was installed, which was placed along the axis of the walkway after the service facilities section as a layer of transition, separation and protection of said section.
The Geotube® containers were placed, spreading them on top of the geotextile and fixing them with the lateral rods. Geotube® containers were filled by hydrofilling, pumping seawater and site sand through GP8-type mechanical ports.
Once the Geotube® containers were filled, marine silicone was placed on the perimeter of the rods to avoid loss of its sand filling as a sealant. Subsequently, the concrete slabs were installed, which were fixed on the perimeter rods.
The other aspects of the work continued: the construction and installation of the campfire burner, the service facilities were completed, the sand was placed on the Geotube® containers and the details of the work were attended to until completion.

The results

Debido a la pandemia por COVID-19 el hotel no fue inaugurado cuando se pensaba, sin embargo, el andador sí se terminó en el tiempo acordado; de hecho, fue la única obra que estuvo lista en tiempo. El hotel quedó muy satisfecho con los trabajos, ya que cumplió con el objetivo de funcionalidad, seguridad, desempeño y estética que buscaba.

conclusion

The work met its objectives thanks to the flexibility and innovation of geosynthetic materials, which also do not require heavy machinery to transport them, so they can be used without complications in difficult-to-access areas such as this one.

Technical aspects

Location: Nayarit.
Design Engineers: G&G Technical Office.
Geosynthetic Products: Mirafi® S3200 and 180N Nonwoven Geotextile | Geotube® TC1200 Containers.
Geosynthetics manufacturer: TenCate Geosynthetics NA.