Retaining walls in and around water

Almost a fifth (19%) of the Netherlands is water, which means this country is, by definition, a water country. We use it as drinking water, for fishing and for leisure. Tuesday, 22 March 2022 is the 14th national World Water Day, and the theme this year is ‘River Clean-Up’. Running water carries all kinds of substances, agents and residues that end up in our rivers. The Netherlands must meet the European Water Framework Directive by 2027. Our ground and surface water must then meet this standard everywhere.

Bosch Beton is involved in various water projects, varying from retaining walls to prevent flooding, helping to produce clean water at a wastewater treatment plant (RWZI), projects that require a sustainable solution, and projects for leisure pursuits, such as a natural swimming pond or terrace by the water.

Water retention system

When retaining walls are used as a water retention system, they retain excess water and prevent flooding and leaching. Water retention systems made from retaining walls offer protection against high water levels and include dams, dikes, ditches and gullies, natural swimming ponds, shoring, quay walls and more. Retaining walls need to be strong enough to withstand the huge pressures and forces generated by water, which is why Bosch Beton has retaining walls in its range that are developed specifically for extremely heavy loads.

Flooding

The Municipality of Enschede decided to take action to prevent current and future flooding in the Pathmos and Stadsveld neighbourhoods by constructing a new brook in this city in Twente: the Urban Brook. In this project, we supplied 400 metres of retaining wall specials from one piece, including the shape of the gutter. This was a sustainable solution, as there was no need to produce separate components. The retaining walls vary in height from 150, 135 and 130 cm high and include culverts at the crossings that are suitable for heavy traffic.
>> Read more about this project in Enschede here

A flexible 330-metre-long flood defence system was realised in the historic centre of Spakenburg in 2017. The need for a flood defence system arose when the water in the Eemmeer surged during a westerly storm and the water in Spakenburg ran over the Oude Haven and the Nieuwe Haven quays. Now, the innovative and flexible flood barrier activates automatically when water levels are high and, as the flood defence system is only visible at high water, the fishing village’s historic look has been retained. The quay walls are also made from Bosch Beton retaining walls that serve as a base for the brickwork finish.
>> View an explanation of the flexible flood defence system here

Sustainable solution

Sustainable design is important to the Municipality of Nijkerk, which is why water was given a prominent place in the design of a new-build neighbourhood in Nijkerkerveen. They devised a water channel to store rainwater, widening and deepening existing ditches to create this new channel. Our retaining walls serve as a water retention system here.
>> If you’d like to know more about this sustainable water retention system, visit 

De Zilk sports complex in Noordwijkerhout underwent major change when the football pitches were rotated and the tennis pitches were relocated. A new water pipe and a new ditch were laid on the northern side of the complex. Following advice, the client opted for concrete retaining walls instead of hardwood sheet piling, as concrete retaining walls have a much longer service life and are easier to install on sandy soils than vibratory-driven sheet piling. We used retaining walls over a length of 900 metres to realise the water retention system. A sustainable solution.
>> Discover more about this water retention system here

Under water

De Sumpel wastewater treatment plant (RWZI) in Almelo was due for an upgrade. For the renovation, the Water Board devised an innovative solution that had not been implemented before, this being a tank-in-tank construction, in which a concrete tank of approximately five by four metres and weighing 36 tonnes was placed in the existing aeration circuit. Bacteria purify Almelo sewage water in this new tank. The placement of this unusual retaining wall required a specialised diving team and the wastewater treatment plant remained in full operation during construction.
>> Watch the video about the placement here

In Ravenstein, an existing bridge needed to make way for a culvert bridge of retaining walls with a through culvert and fauna culvert. Our Engineering department produced both the drawings and the verified calculations for this bridge. We supplied LR retaining walls of 4 metres high with an extra long foot and gaps in the walls for the pipes to pass through. Sustainability was an important consideration for the client in selecting Bosch Beton as retaining wall supplier.
>> Read more about this project here 

Natural environment

Bosch Beton supplied various special retaining walls for the new Bergse Maas intake pumping station in De Biesbosch National Park. The goal of the new station is to prepare for increased drinking water and industrial water demand and realise a considerably larger pump capacity. The new intake pumping station is the largest in the Netherlands for river water intake. We produced structural walls with cut-out gaps to enable swallows to nest. The Bergse Maas pumping station is located in a so-called Natura-2000 area, which means that the design must be in keeping with the river and dike landscape. The architects took sustainability and the natural environment into account during the design.
>> Read more about this special project here

One of the walking routes in and around the Overijssel town of Weerselo features a deck path along the water. Bosch Beton placed retaining walls here that serve as earth retention system. We installed 2.5-metre-high retaining walls over a total length of 84 metres. The retaining wall heels prevent the walls from shifting and tilting and during installation, we used a retaining wall clamp to keep the walls nice and completely smooth.
>> See the end result here

Leisure pursuits in and on the water

Concrete retaining walls in the gardens of the waterfront houses in Blaricum enable people to make optimum use of their gardens. Our concrete retaining walls serve as an earth retention system here. Several homeowners had conversation pits, terrace decking or jetties constructed by the water, enabling them to optimise the use of their entire garden, relax by the water and enjoy stunning views across the water.
>> Discover more about this solution here

Sauna Soesterberg was a household name in central Netherlands. The construction of a wildlife crossing near Soesterberg meant that the sauna needed to move to another location. The landscaper decided to construct a natural outdoor swimming pond in the garden of the new spa and asked Bosch Beton to place L retaining walls around the pond, resulting in a natural swimming pond. We regularly supply retaining walls to construct ponds or natural swimming ponds.
>> See the end result of the outdoor swimming pond here 

Further information

These are just a few examples of how Bosch Beton concrete retaining walls are used in water projects. We can always find sustainable, customised solutions for every situation in both wet and dry infrastructure and for road and traffic.

Feel free to contact our Civil Engineering team for more information or request an obligation-free quotation.