Site Work & Construction

Construction works on a constrained site required excavation alongside an existing sandy slope. With limited working space and loose surrounding material, sections of the exposed ground needed to be retained while construction continued below. The solution needed to accommodate the irregular site geometry and allow the retaining profile to be built around the requirements of the ongoing works.

Geotextile sandbags were filled with sand and stacked in overlapping courses to create a flexible retaining structure along the exposed sections of the excavation. The individual bags could be positioned by hand and built up progressively to follow changes in ground level and the contours of the site. Once placed, the filled bags formed a substantial mass capable of containing the loose sandy material behind the installation. The sandbag sections were incorporated alongside the other temporary works and construction measures being used on site.

The sandbag structure provided a practical method of retaining and containing loose sandy material within the restricted construction area. Because the system could be constructed from individual hand-placed units, the installation was adaptable to changes in height, available space and site geometry without requiring a continuous rigid structure. This allowed construction activities to continue within the excavated area while the surrounding sandy ground remained contained.