Cuyperstrap is an indoor staircase beneath Amsterdam Central Station, providing commuters a pathway between the station and underground bicycle parking. The project features a freeze wall to contain the excavation and presented challenges when optimizing the shape and thickness within the limited space. CRUX Engineering was responsible for performing risk analysis to identify critical situations that could occur during the execution of the excavation and freeze wall. They needed flexible and robust geotechnical modeling technology to analyze the complex stress redistribution and strength structure characteristics.

They selected PLAXIS to model the U-shaped wall and analyze the arch effect to determine the optimal degree of arch and thickness of the frozen structure. Using Bentley’s application, they performed the sensitivity analyses of the frozen soil mass and addressed time-dependent risk to the site, optimizing the construction stages while saving time and costs. The software also facilitated safety analyses to ensure the wall complied with Eurocode requirements.