Case Studies

The Legacy Castle, Pompton Plains, NJ

Designing an appropriate retaining wall entrance for a breathtakingly grand, castle themed event center can be a challenging task. Not only must it meet structural requirements but it must match the architectural aesthetic of its setting. The owner chose Recon as the best structural and aesthetic fit. The retaining walls support the entrance drive that ramps up about 14′ in height to the castle’s grand entrance. The curved approach, battered and zerobattered faces, and accommodation of both vehicular and pedestrian traffic in a confined space, presented complex design scenarios. In addition to the basic Recon retaining wall block, three other block types were called out: guardrail block, column block, and capstones.

Some wall portions were gravity, other portions were geogrid. The complex design meant a considerable amount of collaboration and communication was needed between the civil engineer, the developer, the manufacturer (Northeast Concrete), Recon, the wall engineer (Titan), and the wall contractor.

Adjustments to the Recon blocks were required for the “tight curves,” where wall veneer section had to be fabricated. For the vehicular barrier, the Recon System allows for the addition of holes in the blocks to permit installation of grouted rebar to anchor them to the upper portion of the retaining wall.

Both exterior walls also supported regularly spaced columns that house lights for entrance illumination. Because of the high level of up-front planning and communication, this complex project was completed with “no surprises.”