This week's 'Explainer' is the third in the topic of shoring, featuring guest contributor and geotechnical engineer, Michael Diez de Aux. In case you missed it, the first 'Explainer' in the series provided an in-depth introduction to the shoring process. Last week's went over the construction process of shoring, while this week's takes a look into different support systems that are available to ensure structurally sound walls during an excavation: 

Excavation pit at Living Shangri-La Toronto, image by Forum contributor ProjectEnd

A shoring wall is a massive vertical construction wall that needs to do two things. One, it needs to hold an excavation open. Two, it needs to support whatever building or road is directly on the other side of the wall. This is the only way to dig deep in an area where space is at a premium and there are adjacent structures everywhere. But what makes these walls structurally sound? How are they braced so that they don’t buckle and bend? In this week’s Explainer, we look at shoring support systems and how they brace excavations.

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