Merit Engineering has provided complete geotechnical engineering services for construction of the project. The subject property was the campus of Western Washington University in Bellingham, Washington. The project included the construction of a multi-floor, Student Recreational Center that included an indoor Olympic-sized pool, an indoor track, various indoor racquetball and tennis courts, and weight rooms. The focus of the study included complete geotechnical analysis of surface and subsurface soil and groundwater conditions, as well as a feasibility study of foundation options and recommendations. The structure had to be founded on bedrock, but the bedrock at this location is found at various depths across campus. The bedrock profile is so erratic that in one area it may be found 10´ below the surface, and then ten feet away, the bedrock may be 30´ below the surface. This kind of bedrock profile is common in the Chuckanut Formation, which consists of various layers of young sedimentary rocks that have been folded and faulted into a jumbled mess. Ultimately, almost 300 piles were installed by drilling through the clay subsurface and into the bedrock. These high capacity piles are known as “shaft with rock socket” piles and have 2-3 times more bearing capacity than normal end-bearing on rock piles. With knowledge of the bearing capacity of the bedrock and specified strengths of the concrete used for the piles, these piles would absorb the weight of the structure and provide necessary integrity to the foundation.