- March 30, 2014
Remedial works to sandstone retaining wall and adjacent areas by Strata Engineering Solutions. Strata property at Ocean Avenue, Double Bay NSW.
PROBLEMS
There is a sandstone retaining wall at the front of the property. This wall is retaining Ocean Avenue, which is approximately 2m higher than the front garden area. The retaining wall was cracked down the centre and bowed out by approximately 50mm, indicating the retaining wall was failing. Strata Engineering Solutions was engaged to strengthen the retaining wall in a way that would be aesthetically pleasing to the owners. The retaining wall on the other side of the footbridge had collapsed a couple of years previously causing damage to the council footpath, requiring emergency works to stabilise the soil and to construct a new core filled block wall, undertaken by Strata Engineering Solutions.
SOLUTIONS
SES designed a strengthening system for the wall consisting of three core filled blockwork buttresses. After concerns from the owners regarding the obtrusive appearance of the buttresses, which would compartmentalise the garden area and also look unsymmetrical with the new wall on the other side of the footbridge. SES came up with an alternative solution of using reinforced concrete columns instead of buttresses with a large reinforced concrete base to counteract the sliding and overturning forces. This would be much less obtrusive and dummy columns could be constructed on the other side of the footbridge for symmetry.
SES project managed the tender selection process and the construction of the strengthening system.
RESULTS
The project was completed on time and with no variations to the contract cost.
- Collapses
- Mortar Defects
- Water Damage
