Westlake Civils contacted Enviromesh on behalf of Lovell Partnership in July 2016. An urgent need for a gabion retaining wall solution would form part of a new housing development in Astmoor, Runcorn.
The development boundary bordered a public footpath for roughly 85 metres. A gabion wall solution would address the raised site levels. As a result, providing a secure means of retaining the ground of the new development.
Enviromesh presented design drawings setting out the scope of the proposed structure, as a result of receiving detailed site surveys. The schedule of works discussed and agreed in order to address the urgency of the project.
GABION RETAINING WALL
The main challenge at Astmoor Bridgewater was to accommodate Lovell Partnerships’ need for raising a large section of the site parallel to the public footpath. The ground levels across the site differed by roughly 2.5 metres from one side to the other. Therefore, in order to provide a level surface for the development as a whole, the lowest section would require building-up. Against which the installation of a mass-gravity, gabion retaining wall would provide a durable solution and border.
Enviromesh is a varied business enabling our design engineers to prepare both design drawings and drawings for construction in-house. Therefore, an effective means to communicate both ideas and solutions, backed by many years of experience with gabion mesh systems. Added to this is our gabion supply operation working in line with our network of national installation teams, means we can be quickly mobilised to site. In this instance, the client needed a two-week turn around to complete the retaining wall. This meant that the site’s wider foundation works and build program could begin.
Enviromesh began laying and compacting the wall’s foundation with 6F5 stone following completion of the excavation works. A nonwoven, needle-punched geotextile membrane was installed beneath and behind the gabion cages. The 6G Gritstone stone fill added to the cages via a combination of machine-filling and picked over by hand to reduce voids and then fair-faced by hand on all facing and exposed units. Incorporation of pipe sockets for later fencing by others into the fabric of the wall’s construction.
TIME CONSTRAINTS
Time frames on this project were also a key consideration in the schedule of works. As a result, these need to tie-in with the developer’s view for starting construction of a number of new builds. The entire development would see 10 houses and 10 apartments becoming available for local housing needs.
Works progressed according to our planned timings and once the backfilling compacted and at a more advanced stage, the adjacent works continued unhindered.
