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At the St Anne’s Well Community Centre redevelopment in Nottingham, broad columns of thin- walled Gabions were used as architectural cladding to piled retaining walls which surround the car park and support the vehicular access ramps. The stone infill to the Gabions provides striking contrast in texture and colour to the painted/rendered facing walls and creates a natural backdrop for the climbing plants and foliage (by courtesy of main contractor, Wilmott Dixon Construction Ltd).
Thin walled Gabions also form facing walls to a sustainable urban drainage (SUDS) facility at Clifton Campus of Nottingham University. Here, rainwater run- off from roofs of student accommodation buildings is collected for controlled return to natural water courses. The natural stone filled Gabion baskets form a perimeter wall above planted banking and contrast beautifully with the composite brickwork, timber and rendered facades to the adjacent buildings.
In Scotland, Gabion walls up to 9.0m high allowed contractors Black & Veatch to hide Scottish Water’s new, Glencorse Water Treatment Works in the landscape of the Pentland Hills south of Edinburgh.
Here, the Maccaferri Gabions, in-filled with local red basalt, were used to form massive retaining walls which, when backed up with thousands of cubic metres of reclaimed soil, effectively hid the 10 hectare plant from view.
By completely burying one huge building and designing another as a low aspect structure, incorporating the largest grassed roof of any building in Scotland, the Glencorse plant is one of the best hidden and most sustainable construction projects in the country.
At the Glencorse site, the Gabions fulfil their traditional, civil engineering function by forming a network of mass gravity and reinforced soil structures. The largest of the five walls is 9.0m high and defines the access roads and turning areas for articulated tankers and chemical delivery vehicles. Here, the near vertical structure sweeps north around the vehicular turning head before following the north east wall of the main water treatment building.
Whether it is for decorative effect or structural strength and long term durability, the future for Gabions as a building material seems assured. The combination of engineering capability and aesthetic appeal gives the humble Gabion a head start against many other building materials.
It could be argued that the only limiting factor that may affect the on-going success of the versatile Gabion is the creativity of the design and construction community, who has used it to such good effect over the last century. A point that no-one should worry too much about, over the next hundred years.
For further information on Gabions and the wider range of geotechnical and civil engineering products from Maccaferri, go to
www.maccaferri.co.uk. The website also features an interactive map to view case studies by location; a searchable document section for viewing and downloading brochures and technical documents plus the facility to register for CPD seminars and request design software.
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www.maccaferri.co.uk 01865 770555
Thin walled Gabions also form facing walls to a sustainable urban drainage (SUDS) facility at Clifton Campus of Nottingham University
Broad panels of thin-walled Maccaferri Gabions were used as architectural cladding to piled retaining walls, which surround the car parking area for St Anne’s Community Centre, Nottingham
Maccaferri Gabion walls up to 9.0m high allowed contractors Black & Veatch to hide Scottish Water’s Glencorse Treatment Works in the landscape of the Pentland Hills south of Edinburgh
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