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Gravity walls are retaining walls that use the weight of the wall to resist the force of the earth behind it. They are used to separate or terrace different levels of land and can be made of stacked stones or modern interlocking materials. The wall must be built heavy and angled against the earth it is holding, and taller walls should be anchored to the hillside for stability.
A gravity wall is a type of retaining wall. It gets its name because it uses gravity to stay upright. Like other retaining walls, gravity walls are used to separate or terrace different levels of land. They are built against slopes and designed to resist the lateral force of the earth behind them. Used in landscape design, gravity walls can transform uneven terrain into flat, usable surfaces.
In its simplest form, a gravity wall consists of stacked stones or concrete blocks. Requiring no additional materials or technology, these walls have been around for thousands of years and can be found all over the world. Historically, gravity walls have been used to separate different levels of land and to keep land and water apart. A wall built with stacked stones needs to be repaired or rebuilt frequently, because the force of the earth or water behind it will eventually cause it to fall.
Modern gravity walls are usually constructed of hollow, interlocking materials, such as cinder blocks, which add frictional resistance to the strength of the wall’s weight. Hollow building materials are advantageous because they are easy to transport and light enough to be lifted and brought into place by hand. After the materials are in place, they can be filled with small stones, which give the wall more weight and strength; a gravity wall must be built heavy to hold the earth behind it.
Thicker at the base than at the top, a gravity wall is often built angled against the earth it is holding. Aesthetically, this slope, called slamming, makes the wall look strong, and seeing a backward curve is a sign that the wall is functioning properly. Over time, the strength of the hillside will cause the wall to bulge outward. A gravity wall that appears to be leaning outward may be unstable and ready to be rebuilt.
Depending on the type of terrain being held, a gravity wall works best when it is no taller than 3 or 4 feet (1 or 1.3 m). Generally, the wall must be built with a thickness at the base equal to half the height, which can make building tall gravity walls impractical. Anchoring the wall to the hillside is recommended for gravity walls taller than 4 feet (1.3 m). This anchor provides greater stability and increases the life of the wall.
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