Sainte Marie Among the Hurons Museum Building

TOWNSHIP OF TAY

50 years
AGE OF REPLACED FOUNDATION

4 week
DESIGN & REPAIR TIMELINE

The existing foundation wall for the Sainte Marie Among the Hurons museum building was constructed in 1967 to support the curtain wall above and to retain the soil below an adjacent patio. The untreated wood foundation wall had been exposed to years of moisture cycling and was suffering significant rot.

The presence of standing water throughout the working area, in combination with an imminent event deadline, meant design options were limited. After considering several remedial courses of action, including contacting building supply companies in the area to confirm material availability, Tatham worked with the contractor to finalize a feasible design. This included pressure-treated wood beams to support the lateral soil pressure and gravity loads while composite deck boards retained the soils.