Redi-Rock™ retaining walls
Introduction to Redi-Rock™ retaining walls
Redi-Rock™ retaining walls are constructed using wet cast concrete blocks with a textured stone finish.
There are four design principles for Redi-Rock™ retaining walls
- Gravity
- Inclined gravity
- Earth reinforced
- Cantilever
Gravity wall design
Redi-Rock™ gravity retaining walls can be built up to 5.5m in height using standard blocks and up to 7.3m using XL blocks.
These are considerable heights when compared to other gravity solutions.
The XL blocks are hollow and are filled with filter stone. The XL design allows for the blocks to be pushed hard against the rear bank of soil and allows any water to drain away through the blocks into a perforated drain. The drainage design reduces excavation.
The advantage of the Redi-Rock™ gravity wall design is that no backfill concrete is required to add mass and no geogrid for these heights. The design allows a fast construction time, reducing cost and time.
Redi-Rock™ walls are easy and simple to build. A gang of three men and an excavation machine can install about 40/50 m2 per day.
Inclined gravity wall design
The Redi-Rock™ inclined gravity design is very economical as fewer blocks are required for the design to work. Gravity acting on the blocks on the slope is very effective.
The excavation profile is reduced, saving costs.
An inclined gravity wall solution is worth considering when the budget is an issue.
It is always worth designing at least two solutions to see which one is more economical to construct.
The cost drivers are the surcharge loads, soil types and excavation profile.
Feel free to ask about budget costs for all types of retaining wall design.
Reinforced earth wall design
When the height of a retaining wall is above 6m, reinforced earth is worth consideration. Wall heights of up to 17m have been achieved using the Redi-Rock™ system.
The reinforced soil acts as the main retaining structure and is a geotechnical gravity based design. A geogrid is used to reinforce the layers of soil. The layers of reinforcement stop the soil from shearing.
Redi-Rock™ has designed a Positive Connection (PC System), meaning the connection strength is not limited to the friction between blocks, allowing the utilisation of 100% of the tensile strength of the grid, which reduces the required anchor length and excavation costs.
6I imported stone is normally used within the reinforced soil section. Some site soils can be used but need to be tested to make sure they are suitable.
Flood defence design
The Redi-Rock™ free-standing hollow core block is ideal for flood defence projects.
The wall is constructed on a raft to for a L shape cantilever retaining wall. Starter bars are installed within the raft. The blocks are placed over the started bars and more reinforcement is fitted as the wall is built.
Concrete is then poured into the core, connecting the wall to the foundation.
The concrete core seals the dry-laid blocks.
Unlike other systems on the market, the blocks come in the Redi-Rock™ standard texture range, giving a superior finish.
Block Textures
The blocks in the UK come in three textures.
Ledgestone blocks give retaining walls a random, stacked stone look. Because they’re made using architectural-grade precast concrete, the level of detail is outstanding.
Cobblestone blocks have a great quarried stone aesthetic. Each one-ton block features the appearance of six smaller blocks, making it a great look for any size project.
Limestone blocks have a natural split limestone texture that beautifully mimics real quarried limestone. The massive size of each block face gives walls an impressive scale.
Gallery of Redi-Rock™ retaining walls
Compare prices of Redi-Rock™ retaining wall types
Which Redi-Rock™ retaining wall type is the most economical to build?
Tell us about your project and we can give you preliminary designs and budgets.
Contact us formRedi-Rock™ design service
The design of a retaining wall requires knowledge of the retaining material, the water table, the ground bearing capacity and any site constraints. The design requires a ground investigation and a structural engineer to ensure the design is fit for purpose.
We offer a full design service from carrying out the ground investigation to final working drawings.
Learn about our design serviceFAQs about Redi-Rock™ retaining walls
The cost to build a Redi-Rock™ retaining wall changes with the height of the wall, scale of project, location of the project and any site constraints.
We do have a comprehensive bill of quantities that we can amend to suit your project. The bill of quantities will give you an accurate budget for your project. We can also give you budgets for alternative designs to ensure you get best value.
Complete a form on the site and tell us about your project.
We can give you a preliminary design for your project from you telling us about your project. These designs can be costed out to give you a budget.
When you want to firm up the design, we can then design the wall using your local soil data and case loads using our structural engineer.
All Redi-Rock™ walls need to be designed by a structural engineer. Redi-Rock™ do not offer this service.
Redi-Rock™ gravity wall use the mass of the concrete blocks to resist the overturning, shear loads from the retained earth.
Redi-Rock™ inclined gravity retaining walls uses the slope of the retained earth to aid the gravity effect of the design. Inclined retaining wall use less blocks and can be more competitive.
Redi-Rock™ earth reinforced retaining walls are constructed by laying a geogrid between layers of the retained earth. The layers of geogrid grid the soil from shearing and act as the retaining wall structure. The reinforced earth is normally constructed using 6I stone material.
Redi-Rock™ flood defence wall uses the Redi-Rock free standing hollow block. The block are connected to a reinforced raft using re-bar and a concrete core fill.
