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Green Building Bible, Fourth Edition
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General: Retaining walls: sustainable systems

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    It is very difficult to find information on innovative retaining wall systems that reduce the amount of concrete, steel and labour involved in their construction.
    My company builds swimming ponds and our structural walls are often made of the usual reinforced hollow blockwork. Where the pools become very big and the shape is very freeform and 'pond-like' it seems a little overboard working like this, especially if the soil is quite hard and cohesive. Gabion walls must be a good option if their is a lot of hardcore onsite, or crushed rock available locally if there are aesthetic concerns. I have considered many of the modular precast systems. One of the best ideas seems to be precast concrete L- blocks, which are very quick to assemble and good for walls with curvature, but use a lot of heavy machinery and are still made of concrete.There must be some clever systems using the soil itself, such as filling recycled tyres, however the surface of such a wall is very irregular. Can anyone help build a clear picture of the current tried and tested options?
    • CommentAuthorjon
    • CommentTimeNov 12th 2007
     
    It's difficult to see non-public swimming pools having a place in the UK in the future David. Section 2 of the CfSH, a compulsory item, when applied as a blanket to all planning, as will probably occur during 2010, could well make most non-public recreational pools an item that will no longer be granted planning (unless used as a storage facility and fed from rainwater)

    The simplest low embodied method would probably be to create pools using the natural slope of the ground (ie less than 30 degrees for non cohesive soils), and to create effective vertical surfaces using timber boarding on stilts (or floating perimeters) with vertical sides perhaps of a long life mesh.

    Where are you located?
    • CommentAuthortony
    • CommentTimeNov 13th 2007
     
    How did we used to build canals?
    • CommentAuthorBluemoon
    • CommentTimeNov 13th 2007
     
    17th and 18th century canals had sloping sides lined with puddled clay to make them waterproof, 19th century ones had brick walls several feet thick, and puddled clay bottoms. Many are now fitted with sheet piled sides, backfilled with concrete.

    Springs coming up from underneath were always a problem, some sections are now reinforced concrete trough shaped.
  5.  
    In reply to Jon
    Natural swimming pools can be used as a reservoir, and never have to be refilled. They also offer the benefits of habitat creation. We are looking into ways of filling them using other sources other than via the mains. On what grounds is the CfSH anti-swimming pools? use of mains water? Do you not think natural swimming pools are very different?
    Thanks for the ideas, what exactly did you mean by stilts/floating perimeters?
    • CommentAuthorjon
    • CommentTimeNov 19th 2007
     
    Hi david

    Yes, purely conservation of water: Section 2. If other sources then easier but then you have a problem with contaminants.

    Stilts and/or floating perimeters are walkable surfaces created over water to allow the pond (more precisely the earth around the pond) to have a natural shape: The walkable surfaces at the perimeter would create the illusion of a formed pool.
  7.  
    We are considering a system made of horizontal layers of geotextile and soil with the geotextile tied into a metal mesh sitting vertically at the front of the excavation, holding it back. I think this is the only option I can think of, it is used in places as temporary (low life expectancy) retaining walls by the sides of roads etc..

    Water again - boreholes are an option as is filtered grey water. However, a simple design alteratioon makes a natural swimming pool a huge reservoir of water for year round hose pipe use and can be refilled by winter rain.....just leaving the initial fill to cope with

    thanks Jon

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