Case Studies

VERSA-LOK® Retaining Wall Systems have been specified on thousands of commercial, public works and residential jobs worldwide. State transportation departments and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers routinely use VERSA-LOK for many of their projects. The International Conference of Building Officials (ICBO) and the Highway Innovative Technology Evaluation Center (HITEC) have published evaluations of the VERSA-LOK Retaining Wall System.

Below are some examples of the versatility, dependability, and aesthetic appeal that VERSA-LOK retaining wall systems bring to even the toughest landscaping challenges.

UW-Stout Campus Hardscapes

In-house landscapers at the UW-Stout campus use VERSA-LOK retaining wall blocks in a range of applications across diverse projects.

UW-River Falls Outdoor Amphitheatre

A popular outdoor amphitheatre on the campus of the University of Wisconsin-River Falls (UWRF) got a new lease on life last year when crumbling limestone seating tiers were replaced with VERSA-LOK seat walls and integrated stairs.

Kansas School District

The Lawrence, Kansas, school district saved tens of thousands of dollars and months of construction time by using VERSA-LOK Retaining Wall Systems rather than aluminum bleachers to build stadium bleachers at its two high schools.

 

Lake Erie Cliff

VERSA-LOK retaining walls have been called upon to solve a lot of erosion problems. But few have been so complex or unique as keeping a towering cliff from crumbling into Lake Erie outside of Cleveland.

Seven Bridges community

A master planned community near Kansas City named Seven Bridges wanted to showcase its gateway bridge with something extraordinary, so they built the arched vehicle and pedestrian bridge out of VERSA-LOK. The design was so successful it won the National Concrete Masonry Association’s 2008 “Award of Excellence.”

Virginia Military Institute

When the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) wanted to convert an unusable valley on its Lexington, VA, campus to a drill field and shooting range complex, it turned to VERSA-LOK Retaining Walls.

Wilton Tall Wall

When the Town of Wilton, ME, wanted to reclaim some land along a scenic stream to build a parking lot, it wanted the facility to blend in with its surroundings. Adding to that challenge was a massive retaining wall behind the parking lot that would tower more than 20 feet tall and span nearly 175 feet from end to end.

Sedgwick County Zoo

A serpentine Weathered Mosaic wall 112 feet in length helped define an outdoor classroom space at the Sedgwick County Zoo in Wichita, KS.

Skyline Medical

When Tri-Star Health System gave its 35-year-old Skyline Medical Center in Nashville, TN, a facelift, the renovation included adding a sunken, open-air courtyard to serve as a combination dining-waiting area for visitors and patients.

El Dorado Hills

A proposed commercial development project in northern California was about to go by the wayside due to serious cost overruns on a cast-in-place retaining wall. But substituting a VERSA-LOK segmental retaining wall put the project back on track and saved the developer nearly $1 million.

Providence Academy

Providence Academy, a private school in Plymouth, MN, needed to accommodate a loading dock on the lowest level of the school in the rear of the building.

Ward Parkway

Kansas City’s Ward Parkway Shopping Center underwent a major renovation that transformed the indoor mall into an open-entry mall.

Briarcliff Hilltop

Award-winning landscaping featuring VERSA-LOK is one reason Kansas City’s Briarcliff master-planned community boasts an occupancy rate of over 90 percent.

Mill Ruins

Minneapolis’ Mill Ruins Park is on the National Register of Historic Places and preserves what remains of the city’s Mississippi Riverfront past of flour and lumber mills.

Lebanon Valley College

What began as a cornfield with a 20-foot grade change today is an award-winning baseball field on the Lebanon Valley (PA) College campus, thanks in large part to the capabilities of VERSA-LOK.

Schenley Gardens

Schenley Gardens, a senior living community in Pittsburgh, PA, is built into a hillside. The dramatic 200-foot elevation change of the property presented an extreme landscaping challenge to the developer.

Atlanta Townhomes

When Southeast Capital Partners, Inc. contracted ECM Modular Walls of Atlanta to build a series of retaining walls that would transform a tree-filled hillside into the 53-unit Brickstone Heights townhome development, they knew there was only one system for the job.

Zumbro River Shoreline

A VERSA-LOK segmental retaining wall saved the city of Rochester, MN, $60,000 in a flood-control project and helped preserve a portion of a golf course that was eroding into the Zumbro River.

Ohio Freeway

“Highways are an inescapable part of modern life,” says Jack Marchbanks of the Ohio Department of Transportation, “but they do not need to be gray wind tunnels of concrete that carry joyless commuters to their destinations.”

Gatlinburg Tall Wall

You don’t find too many private residences with a 38-foot-tall, 6,000-square-foot retaining wall. Then again, you don’t find many private residences with their own personal freeway-size bridge as a driveway either.