10/2014 – 35 years of going green, going clean!
Terraforce turned 35 this year, and we wish to thank you, our clients and of course our licensees for joining us on this journey of building remarkable (some big, some small) retaining walls. The future looks very encouraging and we are excited to continue to grow our product presence in Africa and abroad.
A little bit about us: 
Terraforce designed their interlocking and reversible hollow core earth retaining blocks 35 years ago. They are incredibly versatile, but the most significant aspect of the 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 .
Not only has this been part of our marketing strategy from the beginning, but it goes beyond that for us. Holger Rust, Terraforce founder/MD, has always been passionate about green living and green products and it is this passion that steered him into the direction of creating a product that allows a concrete retaining wall to blend back into the surrounding, be it an environmental or aesthetic consideration, which is an often forgotten aspect of maintaining native balance in urban environments.
Our motto is “ going green, go clean ” wherever you can. In life and in business, it is the only truly sustainable option for our future.
Our sincerest thanks and gratitude, The Terraforce team:
Holger, Helga, Karin, Elgin, Fred
Green and functional landscaping for Cell C
A stunning retaininig wall in Johannesburg for the new Cell C head office building.
In 2012, mobile operator Cell C started construction on a new head office in Midrand, which occupies approximately 46,000 square meters initially, with 14,000 square meters reserved for future development.
Cut and bulk-fill slopes needed retaining
Closed face retaining walls
The campus includes offices, a national network operations centre (NOC), data centre, customer walk-in centre, call centre, Cell C shop, and a distribution warehouse. The new campus will form part of the multibillion-rand Waterfall Business Estate development, which straddles the N1 between the Buccleuch interchange and Midrand’s Allandale Road.
Striking and functional landscape
Plants for a softening/greening effect
The construction site is situated on a slope, which required the earthworks platforms to be terraced, creating cut-face and bulk embankments above and below parking areas that needed to be retained. Says Silvio Ferraris, of Remacon, Terraforce licensee, Gauteng: “The Terraforce retaining wall system was chosen by the architects Bentel Associates International for its closed face configuration and plantablitly. The walls reach up to 6m in height and are mostly reinforced with geo-fabric, while some are installed against natural, residual granite formations.”
Closed face retaining walls
The walls reach up to 6m in height
The installation of 4680 m2 standard, grey L11 blocks commenced in September 2012 and the last walls constructed around the Cell C mast in July 2014. All the walls were planted with creeping, indigenous groundcovers for a softening and greening effect, and to add to the overall visually striking and functional landscape planned by Insite Landscape Architects.
Supplier, Terraforce blocks:
Remacon Products cc
Developers:
Atterbury Property Holdings
Architects:
Bentel Associates International
Quantity Surveyors:
NWS Quantity Surveyors
Structural Engineers:
L&S Consulting
Landscape Architects:
Insite Landscape Architects
Environmental Consultants:
Seaton Thomson & Associates
Main Contractor:
Group 5