Landscape Architect Articles

LASN June 2011 PMBR News: Stabilizing the Slopes of a Dream Home06-17-11 | News

Stabilizing the Slopes of a Dream Home

By Lindsey Manthei O?EUR??,,????'?????<

Redi-Rock Ledgestone was chosen as the solution because the organic, natural textures and rich colors matched the home?EUR??,,????'?????<

A gorgeous house, on top of a steep bank, with a river at the bottom ?EUR??,,????'?????<

The home is just outside Louisville, Kentucky on the Ohio River, and construction of the house had already begun when Eric M. Goodman, R.L.A. of Form G was brought on site to design a bank stabilization solution. Initially, he looked into using a small, modular block system. He quickly realized, though, that the amount of excavation required to reinforce the walls would undermine the house?EUR??,,????'?????<

So, Goodman turned to Redi-Rock, a precast concrete system that uses massive, one-ton blocks to create gravity wall solutions with the look of natural stone.

?EUR??,,????'?????<

The Gardners began building their dream home on the shores of the Ohio River before they turned to a landscape architect to design a soil stabilization solution for the steep bank.
Photos by Redi-Rock International

Benefits of Wall
In addition to the structural benefits, the manufacturer?EUR??,,????'?????<

?EUR??,,????'?????<

The two-tiered wall design was based on the adage ?EUR??,,????'?????<

?EUR??,,????'?????<

Flooding Concerns
The project was located within the conveyance zone of the Ohio River, so Goodman designed the walls to account for flooding as well. The walls were structurally designed with a curve to the upstream side so water and debris would arc around the wall and reduce bearing capacity during a flood event. Rip rap was also placed along the foundation of the lower wall to help minimize undermining.

Local block manufacturer Redi-Rock of Kentuckiana installed Three thousand square feet of walls in just 30 calendar days. These blocks stacked like giant Lego blocks for a fast and easy installation.