Envirocon products fit perfectly with the sustainability aims of the City Rail Link (CRL) project in Auckland. Our Interbloc blocks are the adaptable, versatile answer to stalling carbon emissions across multiple sites on this major project.
The Link Alliance is delivering the $4.4 billion, underground City Rail Link (CRL), which is the largest transport infrastructure project ever undertaken in New Zealand. 3.45km of underground tunnels are being formed up to 42 metres below the Auckland city centre, which when completed will allow the rail network to at least double its capacity by linking Mt Eden Station with Britomart in Auckland’s CBD. Britomart will then become a through station, with two brand new stations also being constructed near Aotea Square and Karangahape Road. The whole project is scheduled to be completed by late 2024.
Envirocon’s Interblocs are made from top quality wet concrete that had been excess to requirements for a number of other jobs, and Envirocon saves this from landfill by creating Interblocs. They become a system of certified, precast, solid concrete blocks that are cost effective, can be erected quickly, have excellent horizontal shear strength in both directions, and can be reconfigured on site as required.
Envirocon and the Link Alliance started working together as soon as construction commenced in 2019. The Link Alliance purchased Interblocs from Envirocon, and also realised this was a way to use their own surplus concrete. As a result, Envirocon’s Interbloc waste concrete block system is now used across multiple Link Alliance sites.
Nick Braxton is the Principal Sustainability Advisor for the Link Alliance. He explains that the Alliance has a “zero waste to landfill” policy that makes Envirocon a perfect partner for them. “Our non- linear approach to waste management means we’re using excess concrete for a wide range of purposes instead of sending it to landfill,” he says.
“Interbloc blocks are excellent choices for this project, because they are so versatile and are made from waste concrete,” agrees Section Engineer Eva Brasius. Consequently, they support the achievement of Link Alliance’s sustainability goals around waste diversion from landfill, and help to reduce the project’s carbon footprint."
We find the Interbloc system easy, efficient, and simple to assemble,” comments Project Engineer Emmanuel Chatoux. “The blocks are used for a range of purposes including hoarding supports, the construction of muck bins, work zone delineation, and temporary retaining walls. The construction industry overall is a big carbon emitter and by using the Interbloc system, we’re making sure our project is as carbon neutral as possible.”
Once the CRL project is complete the blocks will be returned to Envirocon, used on other projects being undertaken by the Link Alliance’s construction partners, or sold on.
Interblocs’ versatility is ideal for big projects like the CRL one, because the blocks can be used across a number of sites for a range of purposes. They work well as permanent structures too, both large and small.
Check the system out today, or have a chat with our friendly staff.
Civil contractors Dempsey Wood installed Stonebloc to divide the terraced super lots at Ara Hills, a brand new, 84ha subdivision on the steep hills 3km above Orewa town centre, Auckland.
When owners AV Jennings Properties Ltd began work on Stage 1 of the development, Envirocon’s Stonebloc retaining system was specified to retain and divide the super lots. Terracing was an obvious way to maximise the available land and prepare these lots for sale, and Stonebloc was a convincing choice for the job.
This was a big job - engineers had called for a combination of 400mm and 800mm-thick blocks to be used, across different three types of wall. One wall type was 800mm tall (550mm above ground), another 1200mm (950mm above ground), and the third 1600mm (1350mm above ground). Spine walls were 105m long, and the longest walls coming off the spine were 30m. Thousands of Stonebloc blocks were required. Dempsey Wood were the civil contractors, and it was the first time Project Manager Ryan Lunn had used this system. “I was told it would be like putting LEGO together,” he says.
On the relatively steep grades it had been anticipated that construction would be a bit more complicated than that, but once foundations were in place and installation and back filling was completed, the job was absolutely straightforward, says Ryan. “There were lots of complex issues to this job, including our need to use specialised polystyrene fill at some points to reduce weight on the sandy soils. “There was a lot of weight, especially on the upper lot for each wall. It was important to design and install specialised EPS foam as backfill material to reduce weight while still meeting structural requirements. And of course aggregate/scoria was required to allow drainage to occur.”
But once everything was set up properly, Stonebloc was really easy to install. “The walls themselves were all built on flat ground (one percent) slope,” explains Ryan. “The slopes of the surrounding roads and lots were up to six percent. All the walls were built on 200mm concrete foundations due to the soft ground underneath, and our building them in winter. “The thousands of Stonebloc blocks were easy to install and work with – they’re a good option for retaining walls. The product looks nice at the end, and it’s easy to adjust onsite.” An independent University of Auckland report provides conclusive evidence that correctly-installed blocks can withstand <35.6 kN lateral loadings from, for example, active earth pressure.
The report also showed evidence of the out of plane behaviour and unfactored restoring moment capacity of this type of wall, giving engineers and contractors additional confidence in Stonebloc’s performance over many years – making it ideal for the Ara Hills project.
Envirocon were not surprised by the results. “Our design approach is guided by the rule of simplicity, because simple products are usually the best – they’re also fast for people to learn and are easy to use,” says Envirocon’s Sales and Marketing Director Jack Bright. “Stonebloc is a unique system that not only delivers a strong performance in situ, but it’s good looking as well.”
Stonebloc is usually seen as a relatively low-standing (up to two-metres tall) and cost effective option for residential retaining walls. It can be installed right on a boundary, and its architectural fascia designs provide visual interest beyond the standard concrete or timber faces most often seen.
Lex Norton owns and operates the lime prill storage facility for the far north located in Kaikohe. The bin has a capacity of 500 tonne and was constructed in February 2008 using Interbloc in combination with a simple externally supplied shelter roof.
Although the Interbloc solution is able to keep gods dry in combination with a suitable roofing structure, it is imperative that Lime prills be kept dry so the Interbloc team sealed all joints between the blocks for added comfort for the client. Jack Bright said, “Our solution can be customised to meet the clients needs and the ability to seal for added product protection is a good example of being able to meet the customers need correctly and without additional complexity”
Lex Norton said that he chose Interbloc for many reasons, they included,
● Strength of the blocks to withstand the odd hit from the loader,
● They where free standing
● Assembly could be carried out with their fork lift,
● The product was competitively priced compared to other solutions
● The ability to expand and or relocate the bin at a future date.
When asked to summarise the process and his dealings with Interbloc, Lex stated “I was very happy with the Interbloc fertiliser bin and would recommend Interbloc structures for smaller farm storage requirements”.
Errol Watts is a typical Te Puke farmer. Born and bred in the region, Errol farms a total of 295 hectares across two sites. Milking 1200 cows means Errol requires
supplementary feed to ensure maximum productivity throughout the year. One
of the supplementary feeds utilised by Errol is Palm Kernel Expeller (PKE). PKE’s a bit like fertiliser, in that it is highly susceptible to moisture damage. When you’re dealing with a product that costs around $300 a tonne, reducing waste is important. Achieving cost effectiveness and weather tightness weren’t the only concerns of Errol’s. A company which could handle the project from start to finish was also important, “Service matters, and with Interbloc you get good service” says Errol.
Errol had previously contracted Interbloc, so when he went looking for a new
PKE bin he took the time to look into Interbloc’s standard PKE bin package. As
Errol puts it “They did some work for me a couple of years ago so when I found I
needed a PKE bin and saw Interbloc’s PKE bin all in one package I gave them a
call”. The standard PKE bin was designed by Interbloc in conjunction with
farmers. It is a 48m³ bin made from Interbloc interlocking concrete blocks. The
the walls are 600mm wide for strength and stability. The price tag includes a
concrete slab with a 2m apron to ensure any spillage out the front doesn’t go to
waste. The bin utilises a heavy duty canvas cover which five removable
galvanised steel hoops to keep it taunt. The hoops slide into hole locates on the
top of the bin. The canvas cover is attached for the bin at the back and is easily
pulled back and forth. All this can be installed quickly – one day once the
concrete slab has been laid.
If you ask Errol, the features of the standardised bin weren’t the deal maker, “it
was a no brainer. Firstly the blocks are a brilliant idea. They’re convenient,
durable, and flexible. When I am not using the PKE bin for feed storage, I can use it to store fertiliser or something else. It’s not just a bin, you see, because of the modular design of the blocks we can use the blocks to build other structures any
time”.
Errol’s story is typical of the farmers who have purchase Interbloc PKE bins.
Modern farming means Interbloc solutions need to cater to a variety of on farm
requirements. The standardised design means Interbloc can offer a competitively priced product and this shows in sales to day.
When Ruawai pedigree Holstein breeders and dairy farmers Blair and Neil Sidwell needed to build a new maize silage bin they called on Interbloc for the solution. With 35 years farming experience the Sidwells know what they want when it comes to their business, and Neil was quite precise. “Build us a silage bin, forty by twenty, by one point two metres high!” he said.
Once the floor was poured, and the required number of blocks had been transported to the site, the Interbloc team had built their bin within two days, and it was full of good maize silage, safe and sound, two weeks later. Before committing themselves to building an Interbloc maize silage bin, the Sidwell brothers went through an extensive cost comparison process, from which Interbloc emerged to beat the nearest competitor’s price by 50%.
Combining this factor with the flexibility and durability of its products, and the speed of the Interbloc operation was, as the Sidwells’ said, “… a no-brainer!” Like the Sidwells’, more and more farmers now recognize the advantages of the Interbloc silage bins over the alternative in-ground pits.
“No more mud contaminating the precious resource, which on a bin this size (1000M3) can lead to silage losses of up to 30%, or $23000,” said Interbloc’s Jack Bright. “The approaches to the new bin are clean and tidy, and with a more even compaction of the silage, its quality is maintained.
And the Sidwells are better able to more efficiently and economically deliver it to the Stock.” Blair Sidwell was also very pleased with the Interbloc solution and noted that when the planned increase in herd size takes place they will be able to easily increase the bin’s capacity with the simple addition of another row of Interblocs.
Good silage stack management is essential if best results are to be achieved. A poorly designed pit or bunker not only adds to wastage but also increased the workload involved with feeding out. “The objective must be to do it right first time,” says Jack Bright, who has been in the industry for over 15 years and shares some of his experience here.
The Sales Director, Bright says, “farming has become big business, farmers have to maximise the return they get from every dollar. If they don’t adapt” he says, “they’ll be left in the wake of those who do!” “Good farming is all about maximising potential for quality production and consequent profit, and minimising factors that could adversely affect those goals!” says Bright.
A properly specified and constructed silage bunker ensures greater and more even compaction so, in the case of maize silage, farmers can achieve an average density of 225kg DM/m³ compared with less than 200kg DM/³ when stacked Otherwise. Positioning the bin handy to where the silage will be fed out is important, and so is its orientation to prevailing wind, rain and sun. And it’s also important that the site is able to be easily accessed by large truck and trailer units and that the surrounding ground is firm. And while harvesting maize at the right time will minimise any leeching to almost nil, it’s also important to make provision for the water to be drained away from the site. *Based on a tractor bucket reach of 2.5m high and a twin U bin structure – the most economical and easiest to build. Actual bunker size will be determined by each individual farmer’s herd management practices but ideally 15 – 20cm
of the face should be removed each day and the whole face every 24 hours.
These factors will also determine the optimum stack height for efficient operation of the facility, with maximum height also being affected by the loader’s bucket reach. Oxygen is the number one enemy of good silage making and so, to ensure its access is controlled, a good quality 150mm micron thick polythene is essential. Choosing black or white polythene will pay dividends and better enable the farmer to keep temperatures in the stack below 30° Celsius, the point where the silage is over cooked and the food value can start to drop off rapidly.
Some things never change and old car tyres are still one of the best ways of ensuring the stack is kept properly wrapped and sealed and it’s always a good idea to lay baits for rats, mice and possums, making sure the bait is secure from other farm animals.
Interbloc is an MSE wall system.
When Industrial Processors faced an urgent requirement to build a high surcharge retaining wall fast, they turned to Interbloc. Our one tonne interlocking precast concrete wall system combined with geogrid for a faster, stronger, safer wall.
Background:
The South Waikato operation had an existing timber retaining wall which was failing, leading to a requirement to replace the wall. Time was of the essence, as an extended shutdown impacts on operations.
Industrial Processors canvassed all the possible retaining wall options, and choose Interbloc due to the cost efficiency, speed of construction, and ability to move the wall as the business grew and the site configuration changed.
The end result was a retaining wall up to 5.4m high, installed in a 7 days and on a compacted gravel foundation.
Mechanically Stabilised Earth (MSE) Walls:
What is a MSE wall?
MSE is a method of reinforcing a wall to withstand high loads. It’s common with bridge culverts and high retaining walls. Essentially it ties the wall elements (in our case Interbloc blocks), to the retained soil using a matt like material. In the case of Industrial Processors geogrid was used. The matting it layered, and the backfill and soil is compacted as the wall is built. The matt is also sandwiched between the blocks to create one complete and strong structure.
MSE is a faster, more cost effective, and stronger solution when building retaining walls with large loadings. There’s numerous different MSE systems out on the market, however its only when MSE and Interbloc are combined that you truly get the unique benefits of speed, durability, and flexibility.
Jalcon Homes builds modern well-constructed homes in a variety of residential settings with land and home packages. As a developer, Jalcon performs two functions, developing superlots and building homes on individual lots. This case study demonstrates how a unique set of circumstances demanded a different approach to solving the problem of maximising the building envelop in a
residential setting with retaining walls.
(Jalcon Home's Hobsonville Point)
This case study is about Jalcon Homes' Hobsonville Point development. Jalcon wanted to maximise the building footprint and comply with council regulations creating retaining walls that not only looked aesthetically pleasing but also provided the necessary function. The retaining wall needed to be built completely at the edge of the unit title and deliver a loading strength that meant heavy traffic could drive alongside the edge of the structure.
Traditional timber retaining walls utilise more land than is desirable and take considerable time for labourers to install. Stonebloc minimises the building envelope and its interlocking system makes for a fast and stable platform when constructing.
(On the left is a timber retaining wall, and on the right is a Stonebloc retaining wall)
Jalcon Homes had two superlots (21 & 25 unit titles) for high density housing. In both cases there were shared driveways and parking bays which back onto individual land owner sites. The retaining walls ranged in height from 0.4 metres to 1.7 metres high and were up to 85 metres long.
Fencing was to be erected on top of the retaining walls to give individual unit title holders’ additional privacy. This fencing needed to be erected quickly and in a simple fashion. Stonebloc retaining wall cappers and flat top blocks were used to achieve this. With height variations along the retaining wall structure a custom build plan was developed in conjunction with Jalcon, its engineers and the
subcontract installer.
These modern homes needed exterior landscaping to match the housing design. Stonebloc retaining walls create a backdrop that blends into this setting and offsets planting and functional aspects of urban living.
Stonebloc was able to be used with a simple gravel base for its gravity walls system, yet still providing the loading capacity to allow heavy traffic along driveways and into parking bays.
Stonebloc can be built quickly with lower labour costs due to the modular nature of the interlocking system. Cantilever walls were also available as required.
Vertical walls were erected at the edge of the boundary to maximise land use and build within a unit title holder’s envelope.
A total of 855 blocks were required and a competitive pricing model was achieved when compared against other building materials and methods. Overall Stonebloc met and exceeded the requirements for Jalcon.
Southbase Construction is an ambitious company with a clear vision: to have the best delivery track record in the industry, bar none. Originally from Christchurch, the business now operates NZ wide.
Recently Southbase Construction chose Interbloc’s concrete weight hoarding solution for the Massey University Construction site. The very high wind zone of the site, and short timeframe of the project, demanded a fast and strong solution. Health and safety demands hoardings around construction sites.
Interbloc was able to offer around 200 one tonne concrete weights at short notice and organise delivery to site. For these reasons Kurtis Graham, Project Manager, was stoked with our Interbloc concrete weight solution.
– H&S compliant, non-flowable weights.
– Concrete weights ranging from 10-1500kg.
– Delivery at short notice.
– Full service, through the organising delivery on site.
– Blocks can be sold back/sold on at the end of the project.
Fulton Hogan has a long history of operations as one of the founding contracting businesses in New Zealand. More recently, Fulton Hogan has extended its operations into Australia and is rapidly growing a presence and reputation as a major contractor who delivers what they promise. Fulton Hogan sets high standards and in return looks for suppliers who match their organisational attributes and culture for success.
In 2012 Fulton Hogan undertook a substantial redevelopment of their Auckland Regional HQ based in Mt Wellington. A key part of the redevelopment was to improve the sites water management system as the aggregate would sit in puddles of water which led to wet aggregate being used in the production of bitumen.
In addition, during the redevelopment of the site, the Project Manager of the site redevelopment saw an opportunity to improve the overall efficiency of the yards operations by upgrading the existing aggregate storage facilities. The existing system used old mass concrete blocks that didn’t interlock creating potential safety issues.
Fulton Hogan invited Interbloc to submit a storage solution for the yard, specifying six key criteria to be met:
Interbloc designed 2 x 6 bay bunkers 40m long and 20 m deep with a total cubic capacity of 2,500m³. The designs allowed for free flow of water from site. The solution was fully engineered and met Fulton Hogan’s high health and safety standards. The feedback since the opening of the redeveloped site has been excellent.
Alwyn van der Linde, FH’s Auckland Regional Manufacturing Manager, says Interbloc won the job because it is a fully engineered solution. The goal was to provide more efficient truck flows across the yard and improve health and safety. “Bunkers were custom designed and engineered to meet our strict standards. We also know that if our requirements change in the future that we can reuse parts of the solution again” explains Alwyn, “Interbloc is a company with a proven record of doing things correctly, they have formed many significant partnerships in the construction industry and we are happy to be included in that group.” Truck drivers are finding it easier and quicker to complete deliveries, and appreciate the sites cleaner and more organised layout. Fulton Hogan have achieved their goal of improving the sites water management, at the same time as reinforcing their commitment to creating a healthy and safe working environment.
Well Connected Alliance has been tasked with constructing an infrastructure development that ranks as the largest roading project ever seen in the country.
This immense development, known as the Waterview Connection, is a $1.4 billion project that includes the construction of 4.8km of six-lane motorway. Even more ambitious is the fact half of this motorway link will be underground, making it the largest road tunnel in Australasia.
The extensive tunnelling process creates plenty of excess water and it is essential that this liquid is stored and treated. This is where Interbloc plays a crucial part.
Interbloc was contracted to supply blocks for the project and build a two-bay settling pond owing to a few key factors.
McConnell Dowell – a partner to Well Connected Alliance – chose Interbloc to provide the settlement ponds because its blocks were engineered and could be removed with ease at the end of the project.
As Interbloc Account Manager Dion Rout explains, Interbloc provides options that save customers time, money and hassle.
“Because the project was only over two years, Well Connected Alliance needed something that could be dismantled when the project was finished,” he says.
“The flexibility of Interbloc made this an easy option for them. With these short time frames, Interbloc was the quickest and most cost-effective option.
“Installing an alternative system – which would have been solid concrete – would have taken a lot longer.”
Interbloc’s unique Buyback Guarantee also played its part in having the company on board. The scheme provided the customer with a level of security and assurance about the end result that only Interbloc could deliver.
“The added benefit is that because of the unique Interbloc Buyback Scheme, at the end of the project Interbloc will take care of the blocks,” Dion says.
“This is what got them over the line, because they only needed the blocks for a specific timeframe.
“We are happy to take the blocks back because we trust their quality so much.”
A total of 369 x 1200mm blocks and 9 x 1800mm blocks were used to create 130 lineal metres of wall that reached 1.8m high. It was sealed using shotcreate, which provides a watertight solution.
Viterra has operations in North America, Australia, New Zealand and China. The Regina, Saskatchewan-based company is organised as three business units including an agri-products business that, among other things, makes and sells fertilizer.
Storing bulk fertilizer isn’t straightforward. Left unchecked, the weight is enough to push out the sides of the large tin sheds normally used to house the agricultural nutrients. To avoid this, fertilizer suppliers build strong internal retaining walls to take the strain around the edges of the building and separate the different types of fertilizer.
Agri-business giant Viterra already had retaining walls installed at its Geelong and Adelaide fertilizer stores, but ran into health and safety problems with conventional building techniques. An additional complication was the landlord of its 150 by 70 metre Geelong store insisted Viterra could only use removable materials to build retaining walls and not cause permanent damage to the building’s concrete slab floor.
Rohan Pollard of Blueprint Consulting Engineers said: “Viterra was considering a number of solutions. They needed an engineer-designed system and the walls had to be removable. Interbloc provided them with what they needed at a price they were comfortable with. The solution exceeded Viterra’s requirements in every way.”
The health and safety requirement was paramount. Pollard said: “The Interbloc approach doubled the factor of safety at the stores. That was important to Viterra; it’s a large company and needs surety in its health and safety systems. The company wanted a solution compliant with the code; its existing walls were under strength and under capacity”.
Overall there is now a total of 1.2 kilometres of Interbloc walls split between the two sites. This mean shipping some 3000 tonnes of blocks from New Zealand along with 45 tonnes of reinforcing steel and pouring 1,700 cubic metres of concrete.
Pollard said the beauty of the Interbloc approach is that Viterra came decommission an entire wall and re-erect in another location: “It’s just a matter of unbolting and moving. Putting a wall elsewhere might take a couple of days”.
This level of flexibility and speed was essential to the overall project. Viterra needed the work done with the minimum amount of disruption. Pollard said the company was never going to be able to shut down its facilities for six months to allow for building work: “Interbloc managed to work with the minimum disruption on the existing sites”.
