Site Engineering

From dreams to reality, our site engineering design services can meet your needs. Led by Mark Boenke, P.E., Pillar Engineering & Surveying, P.C. will maximize your land potential through innovative, thoughtful and economically sound engineering and design practices. We keep focus on the big picture by thinking about constructability and maintenance in our designs.

Feasibility & Planning (Preliminary Engineering) - Every dream begins with a plan. We believe that without a good plan and idea of where you want to go, you will not achieve the land’s full potential thus paying more in the end. The best way to plan is by conducting a feasibility study and performing preliminary engineering. Our staff will meet with you to determine what you want. We will then take that information and see if desires can be engineered and designed within a construction budget. After all, before you buy a piece of property or pay for a full scale engineering project, you would want to know if it is feasible to do what you want to do.

Site Design & Layout – Our staff of engineers and surveyors can take the results from our preliminary engineering study or your own ideas and perform the required calculations to prepare design plans and compile the necessary submittal documentation to obtain a construction permit. We design a site to take advantage of the natural terrain keeping maintenance, safety, constructability, cost, and local and state ordinances and standards in mind.

Utility Design – We work closely with other utility agencies and governmental agencies by involving them early in the design process. By having them involved from the beginning reduces the need for revisions to accommodate their requirements while allowing them to prepare and schedule their work to meet the developer’s time frame.

Water – In our site design and layout, we take into account water lines and distribution. We can size lines to deliver enough water to facilities including fire flow. Not on a public water system, no problem. We work with the Virginia Department of Health, Division of Drinking Water to get commercial wells approved and operational.

Wastewater – Wastewater is a major component of a site design. We begin with determining if we will be using public treatment (sewer system) or on-site treatment (septic). If public, we size pipes and determine man-hole locations. If gravity connection is not possible, we design a pump station. If private, we utilize services of various Authorized On-Site Soil Evaluators (AOSE). Together we size septic drainfields, any necessary pumps and provide alternative options such as advanced secondary treatment and discharges into streams.
Road & Rail Design – Like the utility companies, we work closely with Norfolk & Southern as well as Virginia Department of Transportation and municipalities in designing pavement and rail corridors and alignments to meet ordinances, codes and design parameters.

Erosion & Sediment Control - Virginia Law states that if your construction/development activities disturb 10,000 square feet or more of land you need an Erosion & Sediment Control Plan and Narrative. Pillar takes pride in developing E&S plans with measures that work in hand with the final development design taking advantage of the natural terrain. With our surveying services we have the ability to perform the necessary topographic survey to get required existing and final contours. Of course, we can also work with other surveying firms as well.

Stormwater – Stormwater volume and quality is becoming a serious issue. At Pillar, we use conventional retention and detention basins as well as the environmentally friendly stormwater management technique called Low Impact Development (LID) and engineered pollutant reduction products. By using LID and engineered products, developers can utilize more land in their development; owners can reduce liability by eliminating unsightly stormwater management detention basins while outletting clean water; property owners can aesthetically enhance their property while increasing value through the use of bioretention planting areas.

Dams – Pillar uses advanced river and hydraulic modeling software to evaluate and classify dams and their appurtenances. We derive the PMF and size outlet structures according to the dam’s classification.