December 2013
CONSTRUCTION WORLD
54
Specialist Contractors or Suppliers
B
A
successful product is one that gets used more than once,
having satisfied the expectation of the client. The following
retaining wall project was approved by Harries Projects in
2006 and showcases a long wavy sound barrier along Ratanga Road
that shields residents of the Oasis Retirement Centre from excessive
noise and prying eyes.
The steep road-facing wall features three curving terraces to
reduce the overall footprint of the 500 m earth berm and to improve
overall noise absorption and the overall goal by landscape architect
Jacques Dohse of Planning Partners was to create a large park envi-
ronment with passive and active recreational opportunities to offset
the bulk of the built form.
Pleased with the way the wall has been performing, Harries
Projects approved an extension of the noise barrier by around
13 000 blocks, as the development keeps growing. Construction was
completed by Decorton in December last year and landscaping was
completed in May 2013.
The retaining wall, installed both times by Cape Town based Ter-
raforce approved contractor, Decorton Retaining Systems, consists of
around 21 000 Terraforce L12 Rock Face blocks with a concrete foun-
dation for each terrace. A subsoil drainage system is located behind
the bottom row of blocks while the earth backfill is reinforced with
Polytex 115 geo fabric every third row of blocks. The three meander-
ing terrace walls each reach a maximum height of 1,8 m to create
terraces of varying width.
Project information
• Name of project: Oasis Retirement Village
• Company entering: Terraforce
• Project start date: 2006
• Project end date: 2012
• Client: Century City/Oasis Retirement Centre
• Project team: Decorton Retaining and Baseline
Construction
• Main contractor: Decorton Retaining
• Architect: Planning Partners
• Project manager: The Royal Palms
• Consulting engineer: De Villiers Sheard
• Project value: R650 000
Oasis Retirement Village
The entire structurewas appropriately planted and the terraces formed
within the wall are densely vegetatedwith large trees and shrubs, the
whole becoming a ‘green wall’ that adds a tranquil environment to
the development.
Seven years later the wall is completely covered by (mostly) water
wise, indigenous plants that are also effective in preventing wind
erosion on the gently sloping embankments that face the buildings.
