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Dozens of mature trees have been preserved at a major new building project at the University of Ulster’s Magee College campus in Londonderry, thanks to County Tyrone-based Acheson & Glover’s innovative Anchor retaining wall system.

The near vertical Anchor Vertica segmental retaining wall was designed by Acheson & Glover’s engineering partner, Maccaferri , as a mass gravity structure to maximise land gain behind it and land loss in front of it. Because of its minimal footprint by contrast to conventional retaining walls, the roots of existing trees and shrubs were relatively undisturbed enabling all of them to be retained.

The 125-metre structure - which is six metres at its tallest point - was built by Acheson & Glover preferred installer, Joe Kerlin Site Services on behalf of main contractor, McLaughlin & Harvey.

Welcoming completion of the project, Liam Clarke, McLaughlin & Harvey’s contracts manager for the site said:

“In addition to the trees, another major concern was that the retaining wall would be supporting a busy access road through the university campus. Closing the road was not an option so the solution had to be flexible and fast to construct. Anchor gave us that solution.”