Terraforce turns 25

It takes a certain kind foresight and insight to grab hold of a promising idea, and it takes even more courage and perseverance to take this idea to its deserved heights. And that is precisely what Holger Rust, founder and director of Cape Town based company Terraforce, managed to achieve over the past 25 years.

In 1979 Terraforce began importing wiremesh gabions from Spain , later becoming involved in the construction of gabion retaining walls and erosion control measures. And here the moment of inspiration came into being, when Mr. Rust realised that a more cost-effective, practical and aesthetically pleasing method of earth retaining was needed in South Africa .

After the first Terraforce S blocks (then still weighing in at 50kg) where produced on a small home built "egg layer" block machine, Terraforce has never looked back. In 1986, when the first license agreements were signed, daily production reached 400 blocks and eventually combined Terraforce block sales, equalling over 6000sq.m per month, were achieved in Cape Town alone.

Terraforce continued to expand and mature, as Mr Rust strove to implement his strategy to up-date and improve feasibility/case study evaluation reports and design software at all times, as well as expanding Terraforce's product range to include lighter retaining blocks, an accessory block for stairs or seating and erosion control or hard lawn paving block.

By 1990-something the Terraforce blocks were well established in South Africa , with 9 licensees producing in all major centres. Worldwide, Terraforce blocks are now available in Canada, the U.S.A., Brazil, Australia, Turkey, India, Europe and United Arab Emirates. Negotiations are underway with potential new licensees in Europe and some Asian Countries.

And its not just sales figures that tell a story of success. Terraforce installations have managed to secure numerous awards for the company in the last few years, most notably the coveted Bayer Trophy that is awarded biannually to top class projects in the construction industry by the CMA (Concrete Manufacturers Association) Awards for excellence. In 1998, 2000 and 2002, Terraforce managed to secure the premier award in the earth retaining category, and in 2004, Terraforce won all the awards allocated to the retaining walls elements category. In 2006 Terraforce again won the Premier Award.

In December 2003 Terraforce again proved that innovation and creativity always pays of, being awarded second place in category B-specialist sub-contractors of Construction World's Best Project of 2003. This particular installations at Koeberg , Western Cape , draws attention to the versatility and intelligent functionality of the Terraforce 4x4 accessory block, providing low cost seating that functions as an earth stabiliser whilst at the same time being attractive to the eye.

This commitment to multi-functionality and sustainable development is part of the reason that Terraforce has been recognised and grown so much locally and overseas, so much so that in August 2002 Mr Rust was invited by the Global Alliance for Building Sustainability (GABS) to give a presentation on the use of Terraforce units to prevent and control erosion in South Africa.

The reason that Terraforce blocks are not just solely suited to "hard" and "soft" landscaping, heavy duty earth retaining and terracing, is due to their permeability and plantability. Research has shown that permeability in most urban situations is more beneficial than reducing roughness in storm water canals and that a well designed hard-lawn with 25% openings can infiltrate 500/sec/ha.

Once a storm water canal that has been retained with Terrafix units - another Terraforce product extremely successful in curbing erosion - has established sufficient plant growth, the water can be absorbed naturally into the ground and the continuously expanding root system will increase the durability of the blocks themselves. Eventually nothing can be seen of the original installation, restoring the environment to a near natural state.