Gabions have multiple uses. The most common use in civil engineering is to stabilise shorelines, stream banks or slopes against erosion.
A gabion is a cage, cylinder, or box filled with rocks, concrete, or sometimes sand and soil for use in civil engineering, road building, military applications and landscaping.
There are a number of advantages associated with gabion walls, including: Their strong bases, which prevent them from being dragged away during heavy downpours and even by vandals. They help to reduce the velocity of running water, as the rocks dissipate its energy, which helps to reduce erosion.
Advantages of gabions can include;
1) Gabions are sustainable. Carbon footprint analyses show that the use of a gabion solution can reduce CO2 emissions by up to 80% compared to a concrete retaining wall of the same height. Vegetation can establish within a gabion wall, if allowed to grow. This can further contribute to reducing carbon the footprint.
2) Beautiful at a glance. Large concrete structures are not aesthetically please to the eye. Gabion walls contribute an element of prestige to your infrastructure. Retaining wall blocks, filled with natural rock/stones, are more in sympathy with their surroundings than concrete walls or retaining walls. Structures can also be designed so that re-vegetation takes place. When plants grow in the spaces between the rock fill, they return the whole structure to nature. Gabions are a way to secure nature with itself!
3) Budget friendly. Historically, in order to build beautiful infrastructure, great investments were necessary. Things are a little different with gabions, as their inherent nature reduces transportation and the overall retaining wall cost. But just tagging gabions as a low-cost solution would be unfair. Gabions are a high value-added product as their return is unmeasurable if you take into account variables such as environmental and aesthetical achievements.
4) Smart and flexible. Many modern buildings and infrastructure being designed or updated today are making use of gabions in order to renew their look and meet the demands of sustainability. Gabion solutions constitute an architectural lever when it comes to landscaping and urban design.