Construction World December 2021

SPECIALIST CONTRACTORS OR SUPPLIERS

SALAMANCA HOSPITAL, SPAIN W hen in mid-2020, Terraforce received the final images of a newly completed Terraforce block wal l at the Salamanca Hospi tal , Salamanca, Spain, instal led by subcontractor Obre Tecnicas Y Medioambiente, i t wase immediately struck by the technical excel lence on di splay. Having fol lowed the instal lat ion process step by step, thi s outstanding outcome i s not surpri s ing.

19,95 kN/m 3 of speci fic weight . In the reinforced soi l , we use a soi l wi th 30º internal f rict ion and a dens i ty of 20,00 kN/m 3 , of course wi thout cohes ion. The new road, Paseo de la Trans ición Española, adds a length of almost 600 metres to the exi st ing road system and provides di rect access to the hospi tal emergency zone. I t also includes another central roundabout that al lows access to the new hospi tal complex and future parking. Landscaping and a bicycle path are st i l l to be completed. Wi thout a doubt the final resul t i s pleas ing to the eye, and the addi t ional coping blocks , the fencing along the top, as wel l as the large rock strip l ining the foot add an eye-catching vi sual dimens ion to the wal l . 

The four Terraforce L16 rock face fini sh wal ls – instal led by Obre Tecnicas Y Medioambiente, an envi ronmental engineering company, special i sed in the construct ion of reinforced soi l structures – cover 2 300 m² sur face area, wi th a maximum height of 7,86 m. Says Miguel Sel ler, Civi l Engineer at Obre Tecnicas Y Medioambiente: “The main wal l supports a new access road to the hospi tal , and in some sect ions special cons iderat ion had to be given to the placement of geogrids due to the presence of a large drainage pipe (2,5 m in diameter ) near the vi s ible face of the wal l . Another unique chal lenge was that we had to adapt the slope of the wal l to meet another vert ical wal l . I t was ver y complex f rom a topographical point of view. Another technical aspect to highl ight i s that part of the wal l i s located in a floodplain area of the river Tormes , so in those cases a permeable soi l was used as the reinforced soi l , wi th better geotechnical characteri st ics .” Sel ler adds : “We used Huesker (Fortrac) geogrids wi th nominal tens ions between 35 and 80 kN. The natural foundat ion ground was a slate soi l , wi th 28º of internal f rict ion, 10 kN0/m 2 of cohes ion and

PROJECT INFORMATION

• Company entering: Terraforce • Project start date: January 2020 • Project end date: July 2020 • Client: Salamanca City Council, Spain • Project Manager: Excelentísimo Ayuntamiento de Salamanca • Main Contractor: Ferrovial Construcción • Sub Contractor: Obre Tecnicas Y Medioambiente • Terraforce Licensed Manufacturer, Spain: Prensagra Prefabricados

50 20 th Best Project Awards 2021