Earthworks
Earthworks ranges from basic site regrading and shaping to complete restructuring, for restoration and reclamation. 2B can explore and manipulate site levels using 3D CAD and terrain modelling software, to provide you with visualisation, contour plans and earthwork volumes.
These techniques help to determine how much material you can take off - or bring on to - a site; or to achieve a balance of cut and fill, which minimises or prevents off-site traffic.
Landform design is often a very cost-effective method of making substantial changes, controlling views and noise, and determining how enclosed or open, private or public, your space is going to be.
Cross-sections provide an interpretation of the relative heights of the proposed and existing landforms, which can help with comprehension of the proposals. They may also illustrate lines of sight, as controlled by earthworks or planting, and therefore assist in determining the visual effects of a proposal.
Earthworks can be presented at a technical level for contractors, or in a more readable fashion. Techniques like overlaying onto aerial photographs, or using colour graduation to explain height, are illustrated in the examples on this page.
Project examples:
Sproatley Landfill Restoration
Sproatley Landfill Restoration
This was an old landfill site requiring restoration. Based on an existing topographical survey, we created a set of finished levels and calculated the net cut and fill for the client.
Sproatley Landfill Restoration
The earthworks were presented to the Planning Authority and Environment Agency in the form of contour plans, with sections running N-S and E-W for clarity.
Walker Street POS
Walker Street Public Open Space
Walker Street POS had become too secluded, both in terms of planting around the boundary and a central valley landform. 2B proposed opening up the park to its surrounding streets, which involved regrading to provide clear sight-lines into the centre of the site.
Walker Street Public Open Space
These are some of the cross-sections used to explain the change from blue (existing) to red (proposed).
Walker Street Public Open Space
This plan showed areas of cut (vertical hatch) and fill (dense hatch) which were balanced to prevent the need for import or export of material.
Gibson Lane Restoration
Gibson Lane Restoration
This former landfill site required an earthworks plan to define the final contours and to show how recycling operations on the site would be screened from adjacent footpaths and recreation areas. This combination of contour/levels plan and sections provided the basis for an agreement with the local authority.
Topographic Plans
Nanjing Creative Business Park - Levels Strategy
We took the proposed contour plan for this Chinese Business Park and converted it into a colour-graded perspective view, in order to more clearly convey the levels strategy to the client.
Lounge Disposal Point
This plan is an example of an expected component to most
LVIAs, a topography plan which clearly shows the height relationship of the site to its surroundings. The data which informs this drawing may also be used for
ZTV.
Tansterne Topography
The use of colour and contours clearly explain the "lie of the land" in this subtle terrain.
iearth
