Create your dream garden with TERRAFORCE

News

When thinking of concrete retaining walls, a beautiful garden might not be the first thing to pop in mind, but concrete retaining blocks, such as reversible blocks pioneered by Terraforce, are incredibly versatile when used to create an aesthetically pleasing - and practical – garden landscape.

Why Terraforce?

Terraforce retaining blocks, manufactured by various concrete manufactures throughout South Africa since 1984, are designed to be as versatile and eco-friendly as possible. Offering a horizontal and optional vertical interlock, they allow for seamless variations of wall inclination (90-35 degrees), whiled their convex and concave corners and curves of unrestricted radius allow complex designs to suit site conditions.

The blocks are designed to allow you a choice between round face, (plant supportive) or flush face (smooth or split version) to suit your specific requirements.  All Terraforce products are plant supportive and permeable, allowing unrestricted absorption of rainwater into the ground. In short, they can offer the following design and aesthetic advantages:

The Terraforce range includes The Terraforce Multi 4x4 accessory block, a light, dry-stack concrete unit, generally used only for constructing low terrace walls, stairs and seating arrangements. Not only can the Multi 4x4 be used for all formats of seating arrangements, but also provides stairway access in combination with Terraforce retaining walls.

Also forming part of the range is the Terralite DIY block. Contractors make use of it in Canada because of its versatility - its small size means that it goes around sharp or wide convex and concave curves with ease. It also merges seamlessly from a vertical to an inclined wall. It can be used to create steps by reversing the block and changing the texture and it can be used in combination with the Multi 4x4 stair block. The 150mm riser of the 4x4 stair block matches the Terralite height.
Its applications include light retaining walls, architectural features, terracing and seating, flowerbed surrounds and tree rings. Terralite is setting new standards for low landscaping terraces, stairs and features less than one meter in height. Depending on the height and inclination, walls may be installed with or without reinforcing of the backfill.

Landscaping solutions

Terraforce blocks have been successful used to create many beautiful gardens in South Africa and overseas. For example, when Mr. L.C. Fourie purchased a steeply sloping (10, 5 m difference in elevation) vacant lot in 1991.  He realised he needed to plan carefully to create his dream home and garden.  Situated on a sand dune overlooking Outeniquabeach, there was the need to create level platforms for the new house and garden.

After investigating various options, Mr. Fourie chose Terraforce blocks for economy, ease of installation and environmental compatibility.  Almost 3000 blocks were used to create four meandering terraces including eight connecting stairways.  The owner and one assistant, working as time and weather permitted, completed the installation early 1992. All stairs are partially filled with concrete in matching colour with embedded beach pebbles. Planting was chosen from the Terraforce plant list and as suggested by the local nursery.
 
At Kanonberg Estate in the Western Cape, Terraforce L11 rock-face blocks provided a level, spacious platform -- about 3m above road level -- around a house built on a steeply sloping erf.  To soften the walls that support the fill for this platform, various flowerbeds and steps were added into the design.

The 4m wall at the back (cut section) of the house was constructed in such a way as to provide the owner of the property with a large backyard area to allow him to install a swimming pool. The wall behind the swimming pool area is spiced up with an artificial rock waterfall, along with more plantable space to soften the hardness of the very high rock-face wall. The round curves and landscaping in and around the house ensures that this retaining installation provides not only for a practical end product, but also an attractive one.

A more recent example – award winner at the 2004 CMA (Concrete Manufactures Association) Awards -  shows Terraforce blocks being used to create a level space for a tennis court, swimming pool, forecourt, as well as garden space around a new residence on a steeply sloping site.  Architects Jane Baldwin and Associates started construction at the bottom of the erf by building a level platform for a tennis court using imported cement stabilised sand, retained by a 5.5m high wall of Terraforce L11 blocks - with a storm water discharge cascade incorporated.
             
Above the court it was necessary to build another L11 block wall in the stepped back plant supportive fashion across the width of the property.  As a focal point it was decided to incorporate a level platform supported on a vertical composite wall with curved 4x4 block stairways leading up and down from this platform.  Below street level and supporting the steep driveway is yet another L11 block wall.  Along the one side of the erf is a long block wall, connecting and curving into the various lateral walls.

Elsewhere it was necessary to build various L11 terraces with 4x4 block stairways incorporated. Melanie Diamond of Ladybird Gardens, who together with the Terraforce contractors had considerably influenced design choices made on this site, then proceeded to soften the installation with cascading perennial plants such as Asystatia, Baleria, Plectranthus, Gazanias, Verbena and Leylandi were planted to create a hedge in the front of the retaining wall to break the height of the wall and provide an effective screen. Suitable hedging plants such as Hebe and Lavender have been used to provide definition and demarcate the top of the walls.

The end product reveals an aesthetically pleasing, superbly planted and functional retaining wall that impressed the judges of the 2004 CMA (Concrete Manufactures Association) Awards with its “good integration of design elements and levels, as well as use of different blocks and excellent plant coverage.”

Indigenous vegetation for your retaining wall

Terraforce has recently completed work on a comprehensive guide to South Africa’s indigenous plants to be used in conjunction with Terraforce retaining blocks, especially those that require little watering and are adapted to our harsh climatic conditions. 

Developed and researched in collaboration with the helpful staff at Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens -- especially Ernst van Jaarsveld, well known horticulturalist and author of gardening books -- the guide aims to give the reader an easy to use introduction into the indigenous plants suitable for growing on plant supportive retaining walls and erosion control measures around South Africa.