PS Precast

A Hospital Shaped by Its Landscape: Terraforce Retaining Walls® at Mediclinic Stellenbosch

The new Mediclinic Stellenbosch building site along the R44 dropped six metres from mountainside to road, and instead of fighting that slope, the design worked with it. Terraforce® held back the bank along the natural gradient, cutting the excavation needed for the basement and opening up natural light for the co-located day clinic.

The site came with its own set of rules. Nearby Brandwacht House, a local heritage landmark, shaped the build lines to keep the historic house visible from the road, while 50 and 100-year flood lines and clay soil conditions decided exactly where the building could sit. Terraforce® gave the design the flexibility to work within all of it, curving the wall along the natural contour instead of cutting hard lines into the slope.

There's a sustainability story here too. Groundwater on site is earmarked for irrigation and toilet flushing, and the building's north-south orientation maximises daylight into public spaces while limiting heat gain, so only the east and west elevations needed additional screening. On the west facade, that screening echoes the trees along the nearby river, tying the building back into its landscape.

Architect Jonck sums up the philosophy simply: the design lets Mother Nature flow through the building. Wide windows framing the Hottentots Holland mountains complete the effect, giving patients a view associated with easier recovery.

Terraforce® was part of making that connection between building and landscape possible.

Selected Terraforce® products are manufactured under license by PS Precast, KwaZulu Natal:

Jean Osborne
Tel: +27 39 682 3323
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.psprecast.co.za

Terraforce® Retaining Walls recommended contractor Port Shepstone and surrounds:

Osborne Projects
Devin Osborne
Tel: +27 76 330 2618
Email: [email protected]
Web: https://osborneprojects.co.za

Home Eeze Paving
Service area: KwaZulu-Natal
Juan Dixon
Cell: +27 72 139 9608
Email: [email protected]
Web: https://homeeeze.com

Terracrete™: Designed for Stormwater Control

Terracrete™ is Terraforce®'s permeable interlocking concrete paver, designed to let rainwater soak straight back into the ground instead of running off into stormwater systems. Its surface is 40% open, more than double the openness of standard paving with widened joints, so water passes through more easily, and, if grassed, roots take hold and lock the surface together even more. Vegetation also increases surface roughness and friction, which slows the velocity of water moving across the surface compared to a smooth, sealed pavement.

It's proven itself across very different settings. In the Garden Route, a stormwater channel between residences in Mossel Bay manages runoff without erosion challenges, while grass growth further improves water absorption and stability through the root system that locks the surface together. At Vlakkeland near Paarl, South Africa, over 79,000 Terracrete™ blocks line a stormwater channel protecting a low-cost housing estate. Filled with bio-charcoal and mushroom spores to absorb and recharge pollutants, the blocks were planted with water-purifying species, part of a system feeding into the Berg River. And in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, Terracrete™ blocks are being installed by newly licensed manufacturer CMMA SARL at a solar plant, forming a U-shaped channel for stormwater management.

With proper design and installation, Terracrete™ turns stormwater control from a legal requirement into a genuinely sustainable surface.

Read the full story: https://www.terraforce.com/6-2026-terracrete-designed-for-stormwater-control/

Selected Terraforce® products are manufactured under license by PS Precast, KwaZulu Natal:

Jean Osborne
Tel: +27 39 682 3323
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.psprecast.co.za

Terraforce® Retaining Walls recommended contractor Port Shepstone and surrounds:

Osborne Projects
Devin Osborne
Tel: +27 76 330 2618
Email: [email protected]
Web: https://osborneprojects.co.za

Home Eeze Paving
Service area: KwaZulu-Natal
Juan Dixon
Cell: +27 72 139 9608
Email: [email protected]
Web: https://homeeeze.com

The Terraforce® round face retaining walls at Harbour Bay Mall, Simon's Town, have been beautifully claimed by cascading creepers in every shade of green, softening the structure and bringing it to life in the most natural way possible.

Just think of all the insects and birds drawn to this little urban ecosystem!

What you're seeing isn't just happy coincidence - the Terraforce® block is specifically designed with planting in mind. When installed with the round face side facing outwards, the blocks create natural pockets that encourage vegetation to take root, spread, and thrive along the wall face.

A great example of how the right retaining wall doesn't just hold the ground, it becomes part of the landscape.

Want walls that work with nature? Let's talk 👇

Selected Terraforce® products are manufactured under license by PS Precast, KwaZulu Natal:

Jean Osborne
Tel: +27 39 682 3323
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.psprecast.co.za

Terraforce® Retaining Walls recommended contractor Port Shepstone and surrounds:

Osborne Projects
Devin Osborne
Tel: +27 76 330 2618
Email: [email protected]
Web: https://osborneprojects.co.za

Home Eeze Paving
Service area: KwaZulu-Natal
Juan Dixon
Cell: +27 72 139 9608
Email: [email protected]
Web: https://homeeeze.com