Siglufjördur, a town resting under steep mountainsides, has the highest percentage of snowfall in Iceland, and is prone to avalanches. Historically, avalanches have posed a threat to the people of Iceland. In 1995, two avalanches killed 34 people in Northwest Iceland. The last deadly avalanche in Siglufjördur occurred in 1919, when 18 people were killed. Since that time, frequent avalanches have caused extensive property damage to the town. To ensure the safety of the resident’s of the community, Icelandic authorities have taken measures to protect Siglufjördur against the possibility of a natural disaster.
The Geoweb earth retention system was selected for the avalanche barrier system by VSO Consulting of Iceland, an engineering design firm. "The plan was to use a concrete retaining wall, but then VSO decided to look for something more environmentally and aesthetically suited for the area, since the barrier would be located on the slopes facing houses in the village," said Gary Bach, Business Unit Manager, Presto Products Geosystems. "VSO found the Geoweb product while searching the Internet…it met the criteria, plus it offers a long-term solution for deflecting snow away from the village."
Key criteria for selecting Geoweb earth retention systems include the project site soil conditions, availability of suitable backfill materials, project economics and the desired aesthetics of the completed site.
The avalanche protector, which was completed in December 2005, involved installing five Geoweb barrier systems, each more than one mile long and 15 to 20 feet high.
"The Geoweb system provides a sustainable solution to soil stabilization problems. Manufactured from polyethylene, the system's outer cells, when filled with site topsoil, provide an ideal environment to support native vegetation. In addition, Geoweb material is much faster to install than comparable earth retention systems, such as concrete," said Dan Senf, Geosystems’ Director Business Development, who provided on-site construction start-up support.
The Geoweb system’s multi-layer design makes it very adaptable and capable of meeting a wide range of retaining wall applications. The system is versatile and has provided solutions to earth retention problems ranging from stabilizing the embankments of a roadway to the Kaltag River Bridge in Alaska to constructing a retaining wall at Phoenix Park Resort, a popular tourist spot located in Kangwon-do, Korea.
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