Taylor Wimpey and Groundworks specialist enhance the use of FP McCann’s ‘L’ Wall system on Maidenhead Housing Development
Project: New Housing Development- Maidenhead, Berkshire
Client: Taylor Wimpey Home
Groundworks Contractor: DR Groundworks Ltd.
Products Supplied: Precast Concrete ‘L’ Walls in Heights, 1.5m; 1.75m; 2.0m; 2.5m.
Southampton based groundworks and civil engineering contractor DR Groundworks Ltd has further demonstrated the flexibility of FP McCann’s earth retaining precast concrete ‘L’ Walls on a new housing development in Maidenhead, Berkshire. On completion, the Taylor Wimpey Homes Harvest Hill site will deliver 215 high quality contemporary homes for buyers in the surrounding area.
With changes in land elevation on the site, there is a significant requirement for earth retaining walls. Various in-situ wall options were considered by both the Taylor Wimpey engineers and DR Groundworks, but the benefits of using FP McCann’s off-site manufactured reinforced precast concrete ‘L’ Wall system, far outweighed other engineering solutions. As well as recognising the significant benefits the walling system can offer in earth retaining works, the most recent addition to the ‘L’ Walls on installation, is a contractor lead application of a tied decorative facing brick finish, adding an aesthetic look to the otherwise plain concrete faces.
The addition of the tied red brick finish to the precast concrete ‘L’ Wall units themselves provides an aesthetically pleasing finish that matches the chosen brickwork on the houses themselves. The simple method of attaching steel tie battens to the concrete faces along with the steel tie bars themselves, provides for brick coverage that is a quick and easy process. The brick and reinforced precast concrete ‘L’ Wall combination offers long-lasting no maintenance earth retention boundary walls on the development.
The ‘L’ wall method of earth retention/boundary formation is a simple, fast process and eliminates the need for conventional brickwork or shuttering, steel foundation formwork and the pouring of wet concrete. An additional benefit of the ‘L’ Wall system is that no propping is required during construction. The precast concrete wall acts as a soil retention barrier and once fixed into position on a concrete foundation slab, earth is backed up against the ‘L Walls’ as part of the raised ground levelling work. To date, DR Groundworks has installed some 210 linear metres of walling comprising heights 1.5m, 1.75m 2.0m and 2.5m. Further phases of the housing development will require additional lengths of the brick-clad precast ‘L’ Wall boundary solution.
Speed of construction is a major benefit of the ‘L’ Wall system. The off-site wet casting of the steel reinforced precast concrete ‘L’ Walls at FP McCann’s Lydney precast works ensures a consistent factory finish.
Commenting on the earth retention ‘L’ Walls in place and the addition of the tied red brick face finish, Simon Thatcher, Director of DR Groundworks Ltd says, “The precast concrete units are a simple, durable and cost-efficient means of creating an earth retaining wall, allowing us to work confidently with elevation changes on site. In the case of the Taylor Wimpey Harvest Hill development, we have also successfully covered the exposed faces of the wall with a more aesthetically pleasing and matching facing brick, demonstrating another key benefit of the uniform precast concrete factory finish.”
For further information on FP McCann’s walling solutions, contact
James Hodgson | 07753 415817 | sales@fpmccann.co.uk
