Segmental Retaining Walls

Today's concrete technology takes the term "retaining wall" to a new dimension. Whether holding back mother earth, keeping the water in the lake, or simply adding a touch of beauty, concrete retaining walls are a landscapers dream. They are made from environmentally safe materials and since they are manufactured and sold locally, availability is never a problem.

An Emerging Product

In the early 1970’s, a Canadian company began manufacturing
a new kind of concrete block on their machinery. These concrete masonry units were designed to lock together without mortar, forming a strong barrier against emerging soil.  

Back then, only one company made Segmental Concrete Retaining Wall units. But within a decade, that number grew. Several proprietary segmental wall systems entered the market and were later licensed for production around the world.

By the end of the 1980’s, segmental retaining wall (SRW) systems had become a growing part of the construction industry. Use of the wall systems grew at a rate of 20 to 25% every year.

Concrete Products Fill the Need

One reason for the popularity of SRWs came from homeowners and architects eager to find a low cost alternative to ordinary retaining walls.

Traditional retaining walls are expensive to build with ordinary materials like rock, timber, or steel.

The concrete block industry met the market demand by offering a wide variety of modular concrete blocks made from high strength concrete that when buried below ground, create their own foundation.

This dry-stack method of construction creates a massive wall that prevents sliding and soil shifting.

Designed to Meet Strict Construction Standards

For residential and commercial use, Segmental Retaining Wall units are

 manufactured to conform to standard specifications set by the American

 Society for Testing and Materials. You can read more about ASTM

 standards for SRW units on their website.

 In highway construction, Segmental Retaining Walls are built to meet

 standards set by the American Association of State Highway and

 Transportation Officials.