Root Piles (or "pali radice" to use the Italian term) were used to underpin a famous Victorian Era London Hotel this fall in preparation for its refurbishment and re-opening in October 2010 as the new Corinthia Hotel and Residences. Six drill rigs of various sizes and geometries were used to install the roughly 421 micropiles used for the underpinning, some of which were installed with limited access rigs within the confines of the buildings. Other piles were installed in the courtyard with rigs that were craned in (see photo from the New Civil Engineer). From the New Civil Engineer article:
The new Corinthia Hotel and Residences is set on the site of the former Metropole Hotel, which was one of London’s most fashionable hotels at the turn of the 20th century. King Edward VII was reportedly a regular patron before the hotel closed its doors in 1936.
