GeoGrow were invited to provide a formal design for the supply & installation of a Rootlok vegetated wall system to part of the riverbank along the river Aire corridor between Wellington Bridge and Viaduct Road.
GeoGrow’s design engineers worked along side BAM Nuttall & Mott MacDonald who were to carry out a range of works along the river Aire including areas where major flood events hit Christmas 2015. GeoGrow provided a design for an earth reinforced structure utilising geogrids with a Rootlok geotextile bag facing to provide a sustainable green finish. The wall measured approximately 44 metres long x 3 metres high and had a geogrid wraparound face to provide extra factors of safety.
Rootlok was chosen to provide a softer, engineered system to promote a more natural structure that provides more benefits for the environment, wildlife habitats and a vegetated finish, all stone was sourced locally to help reduce the schemes carbon footprint.
The wall was installed within a 6-week period, on completion in December 2020, the front face of the Rootlok system was hydroseeded with a riverbank seed mix and planted with a range of herbaceous flowering plants. Over winter, the seeds were protected by our high-performance mulch mix and successful germination took place in spring 2021, grass and plants started growing and gave a colourful pleasing vegetated finish for the remainder of 2021. Eight meters back from the top of our wall BAM Nuttall built a brick & block flood wall to further protect the local businesses & residents.
BMMjv where delighted with the Rootlok system and approval from the client Leeds City Council and the Environmental Agency will lead to other installation of the Rootlok system.