Mass Gravity Retaining Walls
01/11/2018
Gorseinon, Swansea
Rapid Grid
Barratt Homes
BDW Trading Ltd
Hoel Pentre Bach
Elevation View
Close up of the neatly placed stone
3.5 metre high wall
The wall retaining and with a 6ft fence on top to surround the car park behind
Problem
The Barratt Homes housing development at Heol Pentre Bach is a brand-new housing development adjacent to an existing residential site. The development offers impressive 3-4 bedroom homes in a superb location in the large village of Gorseinon, Swansea. The project aim was to create a high-quality, sustainable development which was visually attractive thus encouraging healthy lifestyles.
Throughout the site, there were level differences which are to be expected in this part of the country. However, the extremities of the site showed greatly needed retaining structures to retain the new reduction in levels and therefore there was a need for a retaining solution to support gardens, driveways and open spaces.
Solution
Due to the nature of the levels found at the Northern section of the site, a retaining wall was required. This was to create and support garden spaces, driveways and other open spaces near the site boundary.
Maccaferri Construction was tasked with the job of designing, supplying and installing 137m3 of units for a 24m gabion retaining wall at a maximum height of 3.3m in a PVC Double Twist Woven wire mesh. This mass gravity solution was chosen as it was situated along a cut slope environment with the water table intersecting the lower gabion units. Therefore, gabions being completely free draining was the perfect solution for the job as any hydrostatic pressure building up behind the units would be drained out through the front face.
The gabion wall was partly on a concrete foundation where a large storm pipe runs under the structure and partly on a compacted free-draining granular levelling pad. Due to the flexibility of the woven gabions, any post-construction settlement on the granular levelling pad side will be less noticeable as the gabions will settle naturally with the land with all joints staying intact. The gabion wall solution is modular, flexible and suits most ground conditions. It is rapid and easy to install making it very efficient. With the Gabion wall solution longevity, it is a reliable and stable solution.