About
A LASTING COMMITMENT TO SUSTAINABLE CONSTRUCTION
45+ YEARS OF PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT
It takes a certain kind vision and foresight to give life to a promising idea, and it takes courage and perseverance to run with the idea and take it to its deserved heights. This is precisely what Holger Rust, director of Cape Town-based company Terraforce® has achieved over the past 45 years, since he founded the company in Cape Town, early in 1978.
GLOBAL ECO-FRIENDLY CONSTRUCTION PRACTICES
By the 1990s Terraforce® precast cement blocks and the company’s eco-friendly construction practices were well established in South Africa, with nine licensees producing in all major centres. Today Terraforce® blocks are available in Canada, Australia, United Kingdom, Spain, United Arab Emirates, India, Swaziland, Namibia, Lesotho, Morocco and recently Egypt, and block sales now reach into the millions.
OUR MOTTO: “GO GREEN, GO CLEAN”
The Terraforce® company’s motto, “go green, go clean,” is lived out wherever we can. We believe that in life and in business, it is the only truly sustainable option for our planets’ future. Not only has this been an integral part of our marketing approach from the beginning, it goes beyond strategy. Founder, Holger Rust, has always been passionate about sustainable living and using green products. It is this passion that steered him toward creating a product that allows a concrete retaining wall to blend with its surroundings, whether for environmental or aesthetic reasons, reinforcing is often the neglected aspect of maintaining an essential balance in urban or rural environments.
Terraforce® designed the original interlocking and reversible hollow core earth retaining blocks over 40 years ago with living green in mind. They are incredibly versatile, but the most significant aspect of these blocks is that, by being fully permeable, reversible and plantable, they offer a sustainable solution to anyone who needs to consider landscaping or erosion control on site, as an alternative to impermeable (and often unsightly) solid concrete methods.
GREAT IDEAS COME FROM HOME-GROWN INNOVATION
In 1979 Terraforce® began importing wire mesh gabions from Spain, becoming involved in the construction of gabion retaining walls and erosion control measures. During this time inspiration struck, and founder, Holger Rust, realised that a more cost-effective and practical method of earth retaining was needed in South Africa. Once the first Terraforce S blocks (which in the beginning weighed 50kg) were produced on a small home built “egg layer” block machine, the company has never looked back. In 1984, when the first license agreements were signed, daily production reached 400 blocks and eventually combined Terraforce® block sales, equaling over 6000sq.m per month, were achieved in Cape Town alone.
Terraforce® has continued to expand and mature, as Rust has striven to continue to frequently innovate and improve feasibility/case studies, evaluation reports and design software, as well as expanding the Terraforce® product range to include lighter retaining blocks, an accessory block for stairs or seating and two erosion control or hard lawn paving blocks.
CONTINUOUS INNOVATION LEADS TO COMPANY SUCCESSES
It is not just sales figures that tell a success story. Terraforce® installations have garnered numerous awards for the company in recent years, most notably the coveted Bayer Trophy, awarded biannually to top class projects in the construction industry by the CMA (Concrete Manufacturers Association) Awards for Excellence. In the category Concrete Retaining Walls, Terraforce® has been awarded the premier trophy no less than 6 times.
The company continues to sustain customer satisfaction and uphold our reputation of service integrity.
- In 2004 a network of recommended installers and contractors was initiated, who undertake to guarantee their workmanship.
- In 2011 Terrasafe was founded as a professional design service for Terraforce® retaining walls.
- In [year] Maxiwall Pro, design software for Terraforce® products, was upgraded.
These innovations have all proven to be successful and are contributing to upholding the sound foundation on which the company is founded.
Rust is satisfied with his decision of pursuing a sustainable business model, through extensive, and sometimes expensive, product testing and research in laboratories, here and overseas. This dedication to multi-functionality and sustainable development is part of the reason that Terraforce® has been recognised and grown significantly, locally and overseas.
He says, “I was warned that making too much information freely available on our web site would encourage the reverse engineers, the free riders of our times to jump on the band wagon. This has happened to some extent, with even a leading corporate citizen among the suspects, but overall, their activities are not long lasting and have not been able to hamper our sustained growth, even in the current recession. For me that was the most rewarding confirmation, that a combination of innovation, quality and commitment, are the most powerful driver of a long-lasting business.”
For more information on TERRAFORCE Products: Contact Us
Our Awards
CMA AWARDS FOR EXCELLENCE
Since they were first staged in 1985, the Awards have become the undoubted highlight of the precast concrete industry’s calendar. The competition is based on recently completed projects in which technical and aesthetic excellence, among other aspects, are critically assessed by a panel of independent judges drawn from the professions.
Held biennially and open to all members, the event provides an excellent vehicle for Southern African designers and project developers to establish themselves as trendsetters across several disciplines, and in doing so, to gain national recognition.
1998
1998 - Terraforce started competing in the CMA Awards in 1998, winning many awards in the years that followed.
Terraforce wins the Bayer Trophy
Retaining walls occupy the minds of architects, landscape architects and engineers, and these days it is expected that these walls should be aesthetically pleasing, environmentally sound and functional.
Although they are probably the least noticed aspect of a major construction project they can make or break a development!
The biennial competition, facilitated by the South African Concrete Manufacturers Association (C.M.A.) seeks to recognise innovative use and design of concrete products.
Judges’ comments:
This is how concrete retaining blocks should be used to optimum effect. Cleverly handling a difficult site in an aesthetically pleasing fashion. Robust engineering turned into an organic, delightful landscape. When the planting matures, the result will resemble plant-covered historic ruins. A delightful blend of form and space. Excellent aesthetics.
1998 CMA Award winner
Good plant cover softens the wall
2000
2000 - CMA Awards for Excellence - Fijnbosch Farm
Project Team
Category: Retaining wall elements
Product: L13, 4×4 Multi, L11, in sandstone
Architects: Douglas T. Forrest
Designers: Jason Banks
Contractors: Cape Wall cc
Manufacturers: Klapmuts Concrete (Pty) Ltd
Licensor: Terraforce cc
Judge’s comments:
An excellent example of how these products can be used to solve various engineering problems and give an aesthetically pleasing appearance.
Within a short time, the indigenous plants would have completely obscured the blocks from view, but they will still be working hard!
Concrete Manufacturers Awards 2000
The banquet ceremony for the CMA Awards for Excellence 2000 competition was held at the Indaba Hotel, Sandton on the 2nd of September, 2000. As expected from members of this prestigious association, the record number of 174 entries displayed a high level of excellence. Four categories of entries were judged by a panel of 10 professionals chosen from over 200 nominees.
Of the 24 segmental block retaining walls submitted from various centers in South Africa, 16 were submitted by Terraforce and their licencees. There were 8 awards designated for retaining walls, 7 of which were won by Terraforce, including the highly prized Premier Award for Excellence, the Bayer Trophy.
This desirable trophy was thus returned to Terraforce, who had won it at the previous event. The contractor responsible for this high standard of workmanship was Paul Collins of Cape Wall cc. Check out Maxiwall Pro for more information on our design software, Maxiforce 2000.
Ten-year-old retaining wall
Providing level space for a tennis court
2002
2002 - CMA Awards for Excellence
Every two years the Concrete Manufacturers Association celebrates this event in recognition of high standards in quality and aesthetics. In the division “Retaining Block Walls”, Terraforce romped home with four of the five regional and national awards, and for the third time running, the Bayer Trophy Premier Award.
Project team
Designer: Jeremy Leighton
Engineer: de Villiers & Sheard – B.V.I. Consulting
Walling Contractor: Decorton Retaining System
Manufacturer: Klapmuts Concrete (Pty.) Ltd.
 CMA Awards for Excellence 2002 |
 6m high vertical, smooth faced wall |
The rugged site and difficult access conditions required a number of creative stabilising measures. Some fairly conventional plant supportive terraces were installed at the lower end of the property.
 Stair detail |
 Composite retaining walls – Award winner |
Due to the clayey and at times water-logged soil conditions, additional backfill reinforcement with woven geofabrics was required. Near the house an almost 6m high vertical, smooth-faced wall of 305m² was constructed within 37 working days.
2004
2004 - CMA Awards for Excellence - Terraforce comes out on top.
Receiving the award in 2004
At the gala banquet ceremony for the bi-annual CMA Awards for Excellence, held at the Theatre on the Track, Kyalami, Gauteng on October 9, Terraforce once again dominated in the segmented concrete retaining block category, taking home all six awards allocated to this genre.
Out of 13 submissions in the retaining wall elements category, eight were from Terraforce and four of these won all the awards allocated to the category, firmly cementing Terraforce’s position as a market leader in this field. Mr. Holger Rust, owner and director of Terraforce, is adamant in passing his thanks on to those who have helped him to build up a successful and thriving business over the past years:
“Our success is largely due to a well-oiled team effort, and we thank our licensees and recommended contractors for their creative and dedicated input and continued support.”
National Awards
Two national CMA awards – only conferred if the judges feel the entries meet the standards worthy of such an award – were presented to projects utilizing Terraforce blocks, of which the most striking is a large installation on the Dimension Data Campus in Gauteng. Here 38 000 L18 blocks with a rock-face finish were used to create a terraced application to accommodate spectator seating and vertical walls.
 Dimension Data Campus in Gauteng |
 National Award winner 2004 |
Judges commented on the “good engineering and overgrowth, as well as good variety and combination of materials that blend in well with the architecture.”
The other national award went to a Terraforce retaining wall – installed by Decorton – that impressed for its creative use of L11 and 4×4 blocks to provide a solution for a difficult architectural task: providing level space for a tennis court, swimming pool, forecourt and garden space around this new residence on a steeply sloping site.
Ten year old retaining wall |
Providing level space for a tennis court |
The end product revealed an aesthetically pleasing, superbly planted and functional retaining wall that impressed the judges with its “good integration of design elements and levels, as well as use of different blocks and excellent plant coverage.”
The award-winning project in the vintage category showcases a retaining wall around the Liesbeek Trail – built ten years ago – which is now completely invisible to the naked eye. The environment looks untouched, erosion has been curbed and visitors can enjoy the natural beauty of the surrounding once more.
2006
2006 - CMA Awards for Excellence.
Terraforce and Klapmuts Concrete, Western Cape Terraforce block manufacturer, managed to secure two national and three regional awards (one of which was won by Gauteng Terraforce block manufacturer, ReMaCon Products) in the Retaining Wall Elements category, as well as being awarded a Premier Award, one of four Cathay Pigments trophies.
 Jeremy Leighton receiving the Premier Award on behalf of Decorton |
 Holger Rust, Jeremy Leighton and S.P. van Blerk with the Awards |
The Inland Regional, the National and the Cathay Pigments Trophy-winning project teams in this year’s Awards for Excellence competition were announced during the black tie gala banquet, attended by over 450 guests.
Attending the function were CMA companies, the judges and the media. The MC for the evening was well known comedian David Kau and the awards were presented by Garth Gregory, president of the CMA and Terrence Yu, chairman of Cathay Pigments SA.
The Trophy awards are made to project teams for the most outstanding submission in each of four product groupings: Concrete Block Paving, Concrete Masonry, and Concrete Roof Tiles. The best project from the three remaining entry groups – Infrastructural Products and Innovative Products, Concrete Retaining Block Walls, and Suspended Concrete Floor Slabs – is selected by the judges for the fourth trophy award.:
 Hardy plant varieties prevent wind erosion |
 Highway noise barrier installation |
This year that trophy went to Terraforce cc, Cape Town-based and international licensor of erosion control and retaining wall blocks and their Western Cape manufacturer, Klapmuts Concrete (Pty) Ltd, with the judges recognising the “innovative and ecological” style in which the Terraforce L12 rockface blocks were applied in a highway noise barrier installation at a new development in the Western Cape.
This new development within the Century City complex in Cape Town is located next to a busy thoroughfare. To protect residents from noise and ensure their privacy, a six metre high, 500m long earth berm was created with surplus site material.
The noise barrier, designed by Planning Partners (Pty) Ltd, Cape Town-based landscape architects, was constructed using Terraforce L12 rock face blocks placed on a concrete foundation for each terrace. A subsoil drainage system is located behind the bottom row of blocks and the earth backfill is reinforced with Polytex 115 geofabric on every third row of blocks.
To further improve noise absorption, an embankment with three terraces, each with a maximum height of 1.8m and varying widths, was built on the road-facing side. Hardy plant varieties were introduced to prevent wind erosion on the sloping embankments facing the buildings.
To finish off the overall look, Real Landscapes, a Cape Town landscaping company, used the terraces to good effect by creating almost instant hanging gardens with (mostly) waterwise indigenous planting.
Says Rust from Terraforce: “These hardy plants are fast growers and adapted to dry spells and high winds that can occur in this part of South Africa. They will also be very effective in preventing wind erosion on the sloping embankments, facing the buildings.”
 Little or no irrigation and minimal maintenance |
 Forzando Coal Mine |
Another interesting project, a private home in the Western Cape, also won regional and national awards for that region. Situated in Welgedacht, this house required a landscaped desert image requiring little or no irrigation and minimal maintenance. To achieve this goal, embankments above and below the paved driveway were stabilised with Terraforce L11 rock face blocks in a rustic sandstone colour.
Two separate terraces were incorporated to accommodate feature plants while behind the house another rock face wall was built to provide additional space around the kitchen and pool area. The judges felt that this stylishly landscaped retaining wall complemented the overall architectural form of the house in a very effective manner.
The third regional award, this time for an inland project, was won by ReMaCon Products cc, another Terraforce licensee. In this case, some 270 000 m³ of soil and rock had to be removed at Forzando Coal Mine’s underground entrance to form South Africa’s second largest incline box cut operation. More than 2 200 m² of Terrafix 120 blocks, manufactured by ReMaCon, were required.
Stabilisation of the earth and protection against water erosion was affected by using the blocks, which are quick and easy to place using unskilled labour. They were packed in the densest pattern of 10 blocks per square metre and heavy rains of over 1 000mm between January and March 2006 had no effect on the protected slopes.
Overall, Terraforce has managed, in the past 8 years, to win a Premier Award on four occasions, and has never failed to leave the bi-annual awards function with national and regional awards.
“I am again very proud of the input by the relevant manufacturers and contractors that make these projects possible,” said Rust, “and I am sure that the future holds a promise of even more interesting and innovative developments for Terraforce products.”
2008
2008 - CMA Awards for Excellence
At the Concrete Manufacturers Association (CMA) gala dinner at the Theatre on the Track in Kyalami, Midrand on October 11, Terraforce managed to secure its fifth trophy in the Retaining Wall Elements category for a slope erosion control project at Suikerbossie Nek. The company had previously won the same biannual award in 1998, 2000, 2002 and 2006.
 Receiving the Award at the gala evening |
 Suikerbossie Nek – trophy winning project |
The award will be shared with a Suspended Concrete Floor Slab project in Braamfontein (Bridgeview), Johannesburg, which was entered by Echo Prestress; as the judges felt that Suikerbossie Nek and Bridgeview were outstanding projects both of which were worthy of the premier award, instead of choosing one at the expense of the other the decision was taken to split the honours.
Holger Rust from Terraforce and André Reeders and Neville Moolman from Dassenberg Retaining Systems, the contractors who installed the project, were handed the award by Garth Gregory, president of the CMA and Hans Wiegand, managing director of Cathay Industries SA. Says Rheeder: “We are very happy to be honoured by the industry with this distinction and feel that the quality of the project warranted such reward. It was a challenging project that was solved sensitively to the existing environment.”
 Die Kelders Cave – Special Commendation |
 House Davidson – National Award |
Terraforce also walked away with two Regional Awards for the Cape, two National Awards and a Special Commendation for a project in Die Kelders Cave just outside of De Kelders in the Walker Bay Nature Reserve, Western Cape, where Terraforce L18 blocks were used to preserve a sensitive dig site. Paul Collins of Cape Wall, the contractor appointed to install the wall, feels that the project was a good example of how government at all tiers, consultants, contractors and local people can collaborate to achieve the preservation of natural heritage with positive results.
Judges’ comments “A project visually sensitive to its context. The anchoring wall and landscape planting was well done.”
The Suikerbossie Nek retaining wall project began when two engineering firms, Jeffares & Green and Mike van Wieringen and Associates were requested to investigate a cut slope failure at Suikerbossie Nek, situated above Victoria Road between Camps Bay and Hout Bay.
The engineers found that erosion and collapsing were caused by the angle of the slope. Although initially stable in terms of wedge or slip circle failure, over time the slope had been rendered unstable through weathering, which reduced its surficial strength parameters. In addition, non-functional surface cut-off drains, situated above the cut face, had accelerated erosion and slip failure. Moreover, a lack of regular maintenance had led to silting and vegetation growth in the drain, resulting in choking with consequential over-topping.
Duncan Murphy, a civil engineer at Jeffares & Green, outlined the nature of the failure: “At some point erosion activity would have intersected the cut-off drain, and the formation of a large eroded gully in the cut face would have been the likely outcome. This could have resulted in the formation of a deep and irreparable gully extending a considerable way up the slope. Moreover, judging by the crack pattern in the head-scarp, a significant collapse onto the road during a period of high rainfall was imminent.”
Remedial options such as gunite and soil nails or an 8,5m vertical concrete retaining wall were discarded for aesthetic reasons. Instead a combination of a near vertical gabion toe wall up to 2,5m high, a 35º Terrafix-covered slope topped with a concrete-lined cut-off drain, and Terraforce L12 side walls, was the option selected. Terrafix 150 blocks were laid to trap the maximum amount of topsoil on the face, a solution which has prevented erosion and weathering and encouraged plant growth.
Because the slope was large and curved, near-horizontal concrete infill walers were used at five metre intervals to fill the uneven spaces between adjacent panels. These were secured with anchor bars so that any possible pressure on the gabion wall would be reduced, and Terrafix’s maximum laying density of 10 blocks per square metre was used to prevent lateral sliding.
Thousands of waterwise indigenous plants, ground cover and bulbous species were planted and these have started to relieve the nondescript appearance of the slope.
Professional Team
Engineer: Jeffares & Green / Mike van Wieringen and Associates
Contractor: Dassenberg Retaining Systems
Manufacturer: Klapmuts Concrete
Licensor: Terraforce
Product Information
150 Terrafix blocks
Terraforce L12 blocks (Sandstone)
2010
2010 - CMA Awards for Excellence.
On 6 November, the Premier, National and Regional Inland awards were presented once again at a gala dinner at the Theatre on the Track in Kyalami, Midrand. The awards were made in the following categories: Concrete Block Paving; Concrete Roof Tiles; Concrete Masonry; Concrete Retaining Block (CRB) Walls; Suspended Concrete Floor Slabs; and Innovative Concrete Products.
 Receiving the National Award from Silvio and Allison Ferraris |
 Premier Award won By Remacon |
This year’s competition is notable in that a fifth premier award has been introduced. The award has been created for the Concrete Retaining Block category and is being sponsored by CMA member, Terraforce. In the past this category shared a trophy with Floor Slabs and the Innovative Concrete Products categories. As the number of CRB entrants has increased substantially over the past 10 years it was decided that this division now warranted a trophy of its own.
 Stair and ramp combination with the 4×4 Block |
 National and Regional Award won by Klapmuts Concrete and Dassenberg retaining |
In the category Concrete Retaining Block Walls the Premier Award was awarded to Remacon, Gauteng–based Terraforce licensee, for a retaining wall using its own block, Remblock, at The Islands Estate at Hartebeespoort Dam, North West Province.
Klapmuts Concrete, Terraforce’s Cape-based licensee, walked away with no less than four awards: a National and a Regional Award for the Public Transport Shared Service Centre in Athlone (installed by Dassenberg Retaining), a Regional Award for a domestic wall in Gordon’s Bay and a Regional Award for a vintage wall in Stellenbosch.
 Regional Awards won by Klapmuts Concrete |
 Retaining wall creates garden space |
The competition is held biannually, this being the 13th event since its inception in 1986. CMA director Hamish Laing says the aim of the competition is to promote excellence and innovation in the use of precast concrete: “It also serves to highlight the significant role that CMA member companies are playing in the provision of community housing, educational buildings, access to fresh water, improved sanitation, roads, innovative infrastructural products and eco-friendly construction practice.”
Holger Rust, founder of Terraforce, agrees that the award winners demonstrated excellent awareness of aesthetic values and environmental concerns that are imperative to the concrete retaining wall industry:
“Appreciation for aesthetic values has only started to grow in the last few years. Consequently, while many new commercial and public buildings can easily compete with developed-world standards, the aesthetic values and standards displayed in the landscape measures around these buildings, often do not.
 Retaining wall planted with indigenous plants |
 Regional Award in the vintage category |
“This is possibly due to the fact that the value of landscaped grounds is not appreciated enough, consequently the cheapest retaining solutions are often specified and sometimes with disastrous results.”
He adds that in South Africa past trends have been to specify the more cost-effective open-face, loosely-landscaped method of CRB wall construction, whereas currently it is becoming more popular to build steeper split-face (or rock-face), composite walls without water-guzzling landscaping: “This requires more sophisticated design input, which Terraforce has been well equipped to provide for the past 30 years.
“Terraforce also combines more advantages than any of the other systems: relatively light weight for transport, interlocking on both planes – horizontally and vertically, reversible to display smooth round-face or split straight-face, fully plant supportive, has a closed vertical surface structure for proper compaction of backfill and prevention of backfill erosion, the wall angle can vary to suit site conditions, and it can be filled with soil, gravel or concrete as designed by the engineer.”
2012
2012 - CMA Awards for Excellence.
CMA Award for “most sustainable installation”
Installers: Dassenberg Retaining Systems and Decorton Retaining Systems
Jeremy Leighton, SP van Blerk and Holger Rust receiving the Award
Cape Town based precast block manufacturer, TERRAFORCE, managed to take home a prestigious Trophy at the CMA AWARDS and 40Th anniversary celebrations staged in Johannesburg. The Concrete Manufacturers Association (CMA) has held the first Awards for Excellence presentation based on its new awards category format.
The black-tie gala event included the CMA’s 40th anniversary celebrations and was staged at the Indaba Hotel in Johannesburg on November 3rd. The judging of this year’s Awards competition took place in August when 77 entries were critically assessed by five judges at the CMA’s Midrand premises. Out of six Trophy winners Terraforce was awarded the ‘Sustainability’ trophy for the installation of retaining walls and Terracrete hard lawn pavers at Cavalli Stud Farm in the Western Cape.
Cavalli Wine and Stud Farm was inspired by a family’s love of saddle horses, but also a passion for providing fresh energy, work opportunities and inspiration to current and future staff, as well the neighbouring communities.
Alongside this passion runs a remarkable commitment to sustainability. All architecture and design is driven by a dedicated initiative to be sustainable and to establish a benchmark for environmental and energy efficiency. Cavalli, while retaining an agricultural component, still endeavours to rehabilitate the ecology of the land to promote biodiversity in the Stellenbosch region.
The first impression on entering Cavalli Wine and Stud Farm is an incredible sense of space, with views of Cape Town to the West and the Helderberg mountains to the East. This is partly facilitated by the estate gardens that echo the strong geometric lines of the access roads, paddocks and buildings (which include a barn housing stables and indoor arena, a manager’s house and pavilions on either side of an outdoor arena with bleachers). Their statement is functional and their relationship to the landscape is enhanced by the natural plantings of fynbos and the mountain range.
 Low maintenance and long term solution to prevent soil erosion |
 Indigenous plants run alongside and cover the blocks |
The buildings on the farm required the construction of a level platform, as well as road access to this area and the rest of the farm. The resulting cut slopes and roads needed to be retained. Hannes Bouwer of Bouwer Architects specified Terraforce retaining walls as a stable, low maintenance and long-term solution to prevent soil erosion: “The rock face blocks, supplied by Cape Retaining Systems, blend with the natural environment, their sandstone colour matching the surrounding soil.
 Terracrete hardlawn pavers were installed to handle storm water runoff |
 Gardening shed built with Terraforce blocks and lights |
Installed by Terraforce approved contractors, Dassenberg Retaining and Decorton Retaining Systems, the blocks are plantable and permeable, allowing the landscapers free reign.” The result is a balance of large trees, mainly indigenous shrubs, perennials and groundcovers that swathe and run alongside the retaining walls, roads and paddocks.
 Mainly indigenous shrubs, perennials and groundcovers swathe the walls |
 The planted Rock Face blocks blend with the natural environment |
According to Keith Kirsten Horticulture International (Pty) Ltd, a leading horticultural company, the overall feel of the landscaping is very natural and fresh: “No expense was spared to remodel the indigenous terrain; a lot of the indigenous plants were chosen to meld in with the endemic vegetation and seed harvested from the prevalent species pool to be incorporated into hydro-seeding new planting areas.
The main background planting consists of carefully constructed fynbos groups – colour coordinated with particular detail to texture and variety. The existing fynbos lands are interspersed between the working vineyards, dams and waterways, farmland, paddocks and abound with a large diversity of wildflowers, wildlife and atmosphere.”
 The entire estate has strategically placed Terrracrete blocks installed |
 Terracrete hard lawn pavers were installed between the paddocks for water absorption |
Between the paddocks, permeable Terracrete hardlawn pavers were installed by the main civil contractor, Power Construction. These pavers, manufactured and supplied by Mobicast in George, are designed to handle storm water runoff and add a park-like or pastoral feel to areas normally needing hard paving or tar.
Says John Mellish of Mellish Paving: “Because the construction of impermeable barriers on the surface reduce the rate of groundwater replenishment, permeable hard lawn pavers were installed between the paddocks, to return stormwater back to the ground and to prevent the grass becoming a mud bath at each gate. In this case, the pavers are placed on 150 mm layer of subbase with coredrains at strategic locations. Topsoil in the Terracrete blocks allows for easy establishment of grasses and plants.”
This, and a commitment to planting thousands of species which will attract and feed more wildlife species endemic to the Cape Region and Floral Kingdom, make Cavalli a leading example of an estate willing to contribute to a sustained future of the Botanic Biosphere of the area.
Taco Voogt, CMA president and acting director, presented the awards: “The CMA has always advocated the maintenance of high standards in the manufacture and application of precast concrete products and our Awards for Excellence competition reflects this.”
 The estate committed to planting thousands of plants |
 Large diversity of wild flowers, wildlife and atmosphere |