About Gravity Walls: Gravity walls are engineered structures that utiilze their mass to retain soil.  They are designed to resist dead and live loading pressures from behind the walls.  Gravity walls depend on their mass (stone, concrete or other heavy material) to resist pressure from behind, holding back the soil with their own weight, and may have a ‘batter’ setback to improve stability by leaning back toward the retained soil.  Gravity walls are typically wider at the bottom and taper down as we work to the top of the wall.  Gravity walls can be built out of various materials including concrete, stone rubble, granite rubble, gabion baskets, or modular block.

Design Considerations: Gravity retaining walls will vary in height depending on the application.  A good rule of thumb is that the width at the base of the wall should be approximately 50% of the overall height of the wall.  When designing these walls the engineer should take into consideration all loads that will be exerted on the structure throughout its life.  Designers should also consider what look they would like for the wall to exhibit at completion.  In our experience, the most popular gravity wall system is built with granite rubble.  This system is comprised of large chunks of granite stone that are hand-chipped and mortared into place.  Another popular gravity wall is built with large boulders that are stacked.  While granite rubble walls provide a clean-cut natural look, boulder walls provide a more irregular and natural appeal.

When to Use: Gravity walls are typically made from mortared stone, mortarless stone, CMU, or cast in place concrete.  Pricing varies depending on the materials chosen.  Regardless of material, the walls are designed to hold back the earth behind the structure.  A gravity retaining wall must have sufficient weight and width to prevent overturning or sliding of the structure.

Gravity Walls in Greater Atlanta:  Let Fortress Walls and Hardscapes design and install the best system for your applications.  To date, we have built walls in many areas including but not limited to Sandy Springs, Milton, Cumming, Berkeley Lake, and Sugarloaf.