Materials Mastery
This type of wall uses stones stacked without mortar, allowing for water drainage.
Answer: What is dry stack stone?
In this technique, layers of moist soils and clays are compacted inside formwork to make walls.
What is rammed earth?
This type of retaining wall relies on gravity and weight for stability rather than structural reinforcement.
What is a gravity wall?
This wall type is commonly used to stabilize slopes and create flat areas for planting.
What is a retaining wall?
True or False: Gabion walls can improve biodiversity in landscape architecture.
True!
A retaining or gravity wall constructed with wire mesh filled with rocks is known as this.
Answer: What is a gabion wall?
Put these in order from STRONGEST to WEAKEST bond when used in masonry walls:
stretcher bond, header bond, block bond
Strongest: Header Bond
Block Bond
Weakest: Stretcher bond
This force exerted by soil against a retaining wall must be carefully managed in design.
Answer: What is lateral earth pressure?
Often seen in gardens, this type of wall serves as both a space-defining element and a decorative feature.
What is a freestanding wall?
This construction material can be used over and over again or sourced locally, making it a more sustainable choice than concrete.
what is stone?
This material is often preferred for its durability and ability to take on different forms (though it has very high embodied energy)
What is concrete?
Proper design of this feature in retaining walls helps prevent hydrostatic pressure buildup.
Answer: What is drainage?
This principle relates to the wall’s ability to withstand both vertical and lateral loads, crucial for tall structures.
Answer: What is structural stability?
These are 2 of the essential elements that prevent water from accumulating in the soils behind retaining walls.
What are drain rock and perforated pipe? (And geotextile!)
In this informal wall technique, flexible wood is woven between vertical wooden rods to create a lovely (though not very durable) wall or fence.
What is wickerwork?/woven willow
Often made from clay or concrete blocks, this type of wall provides structural integrity in urban settings.
Answer: What is masonry?
This is the type of masonry bond where only the short end of the brick is exposed. This creates a strong, structural wall.
What is header bond?
The effectiveness of this material in resisting shear forces makes it popular in retaining wall construction.
What is reinforced concrete?
This type of wall made from treated wood is commonly used in residential landscapes for terracing.
Answer: What is a timber retaining wall?
This is a cost-saving method of using natural stone or connected to a core wall using steel anchors
What is masonry cladding?
This is a guideline for the ratio of height to width in a dry-stack freestanding wall.
1:3 (width to height) to 1:4