The Outcome
The chosen system emits approximately 97% less GHG compared to the equivalent retaining walls in concrete or steel, and its ability to green up gives further long-term environmental benefits via carbon sequestration. Reusing materials found on site for the backfill, the amount of vehicle movement was reduced, therefore reducing the carbon emissions.
How we did it
Utilising recycled materials, working in conjunction with geotextiles, enables a retaining wall to be formed that can then be hydroseeded, where water is sprayed with seed and a substrate, and due to the pressures, this tends to penetrates the geotextile bags. After a few weeks the bags were covered in growth and over time will become fully vegetated with the roots helping bind the wall together further. With green lizards and a variety of rare insects in the location, this area will become a suitable habitat and steppingstone for such species, ecologically, helping to reduce fragmentation caused by traditional non-sustainable construction.
The Challenge
The site is ecologically sensitive, in a key tourist area, as well as being a coastal site. The design developed needed to be take these into account. The solution was able to be developed to resolve this issues in a new technique to Jersey.
