Pop, Deltalok, and Drop It

The days are getting longer, the weather warmer, and my hours of sleep shorter, that's right, spring is here. With it comes the task of creating cohesive design solutions for several landscape elements. Samuel, Drew, my fellow Landscape Architects, and myself, have been working on designing a series of terraced rainwater filtration beds, raised vegetable beds, a cistern enclosure, and a plinth area near the back of the property. The challenge now becomes to make certain that these elements merge seamlessly with the house and the existing contextual conditions. Although we have been through several design iterations involving all the landscape elements, my primary focus of this post will be on our use of a product called Deltalok. "What is Deltalok?" you may ask. Well, my inquisitive friend, Deltalok is, "an innovative solution for erosion control, slope stability, soil retention and earth wall applications." While the Deltalok product can be used to retain extremely steep slopes (see below), for our project the product gives us the ability to seamlessly mold our landscape elements into the existing land. Each bag contains a unique mixture of sand (70%) and mushroom compost (30%) which can be seeded, plugged, or planted into providing an immediate visual impact, as well as an extremely strong retaining wall. We are hoping to begin installation in the bio-retention beds and behind the plinth next weekend, April, 2, and with over 300 bags to fill and stack we're going to need some help. Pizza (I'm not getting into the argument of Domino's or Papa John's) and drinks will be provided for anyone willing to donate a few hours of work. If you would like to see more about the product visit their website at www.deltalok.com