Retaining walls, which comes in different  forms such as timber & concrete sleeper retaining walls or shotcrete retaining walls are structures used to retain soil at different levels.

Timber sleeper retaining wall

Construction of Sleeper retaining wall.

Layout of a retaining wall is simply a series of vertical metal or timber posts placed at regular intervals, connected with horizontal timber or concrete sleepers.

Design of a retaining wall must be done by a  structural engineer taking in to consideration of;

• Location and footing depth of adjoining structures.
• Height of soil retained and soil test reports.
• Drainage requirements and the location of stormwater drainage discharge point.
• Council requirements, building codes and standards.

Cross section of a sleeper retaining wall

Timber sleepers vs concrete sleepers

Timber sleepers are the popular and cheaper choice of sleepers with a lifespan of approximately 15 – 30 years depending on weather and soil conditions.  Treated softwood or hardwood sleepers with required stress grade are used.

Concrete sleepers are more costly, long-lasting and used to  withstand elements. Also the availability of wide range of colors, patterns and textures increases the aesthetic appeal of the project 

Shotcrete retaining walls

Shotcrete is a specialized construction method of soil retention commonly used for deep basements , ground/ rock stabilization and erosion control. Shotcrete is pneumatically delivered through a high velocity horse on a surface reinforced with bored-piers, steel reinforcing bars, anchor bars etc. 

Typical process of shotcrete wall construction