VERTI-BLOCK WALL SUPPORTS EXPANSION OF RETIREMENT VILLAGE

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

The Gold Creek Homestead development is an $80 million expansion of The Grove Retirement Village in Ngunnawal, ACT. The project adds 45 independent living villas and a 124-bed residential aged care facility while extending the village into the historic Gold Creek Homestead Precinct, which dates back to 1860. It also includes the sensitive restoration and activation of the existing homestead buildings and surrounding landscape.

The development required a retaining wall solution to create level building pads for the new villas and adjoining aged care facility.

OUR SOLUTION

Significant civil works and retaining walls were required to accommodate the site’s undulating 4.8-hectare topography and establish level building platforms across the development.

To meet the project requirements, Geofabrics worked closely with the project engineers and proposed the Verti-Block concrete block system. Verti-Block was selected for its structural strength, modular construction, and suitability for large-scale earth retention.

The system was installed across multiple wall sections, covering 880 m², with a total wall length of 330 metres, to efficiently manage the varying site levels and create the required building platforms. Throughout construction, the Geofabrics team provided on-site support to the contractor, ensuring correct block placement, alignment, and installation practices were maintained so the retaining wall system performed as designed.”

PRODUCTS USED

Verti-Block® Concrete Block

• A perfectly proportioned precast modular concrete block used for reinforced soil and mass gravity walls in various applications across civil engineering and landscaping projects
• Easy installation with the ability to move blocks and put them into place with smaller equipment, there’s no need for heavy machines like a crane
• Engineered for strength, Verti-Block’s hollow structure improves its ability to retain earth, even in poor soil conditions thanks to its interlocking connection design to ensure a secure fit
• It is lighter than solid blocks, which lowers labour, equipment and transportation costs