Barrettes are ‘rectangular’ piles.
Similar to rotary bored piles, barrettes are installed using drilling techniques under bentonite fluid or polymers that assist in maintaining the stability of the bore during drilling. Barrettes unlike bored piles are installed using crane or rig mounted diaphragm wall cutters and not drilling rigs. Barrettes often form the foundations of high-rise buildings and skyscrapers which are subjected to heavy loads and bending moments. Barrettes have the advantage over traditional rotary piles in that they can be installed to larger depths (over 100m) and take much heavier working loads.
