Tristar Brick & Block

10/21/2026

Terraforce Retaining Walls® has released the first of three animated installation guides, showing how to build a gravity retaining wall using Terraforce® blocks.

The animation follows each stage of construction, from preparing the foundation and laying the first course to backfilling, compaction and finishing the wall. Seeing the process in motion makes it easier to understand how the blocks interlock and why careful preparation and placement matter for a long-lasting wall.

The animation is intended as a guide only. Wall height, loading, ground conditions and drainage requirements must be assessed by a suitably qualified professional for each project.

Produced by Modena Technologies, the animation is the first in a series of three. The next two will cover composite walls with geogrid reinforcement and heavy-duty walls built with double layers of blocks, concrete infill and reinforcing steel.

Watch the first animation here: https://youtu.be/c4p1_BR0OW0?si=AJL2zMjst-wLHoLl

Got questions? Email [email protected].

Terraforce®, the South African manufacturer of retaining wall syste...

10/16/2026

The Terraforce Retaining Walls® round face finish gives this retaining wall at the Takealot distribution centre in Cape Town its distinctive scalloped look. The rounded block faces create a soft, rhythmic texture that catches the light and follows the curves of the wall.

Round face blocks add character to large-scale infrastructure without losing strength or practicality. The wall also steps down at its end, showing how flexible the Terraforce® system is on a working logistics site.

10/13/2026

Project follow-up: Terraforce Retaining Walls® walls at eZulwini, Eswatini, eleven years on

Cutting into the hillside for the new International Convention Centre and five-star resort exposed steep, unstable slopes. The solution was a tiered Terraforce® wall system: a 2m double-skin first tier, the base for 4m stepped tiers, reaching up to 26m, an all-time high for Terraforce® retaining wall engineering to date.

Designed by Fred Laker for Terrasafe® and installed by EFS Construction, a Terraforce® licensed manufacturer and recommended contractor, the walls used 267,700 customised L11 blocks.

Seedling bags were built into the infill as each tier went up, and the red oxide blocks now sit under groundcover, shrubs and creepers, as photographed in September 2026.

Selected Terraforce® products are manufactured under license by Tristar Brick & Block, British Columbia:

Harj Kalkat
Phone: 604 859 3651
Cell: 778 908 1299
Email: [email protected]
Web: https://www.tristarblock.com

For Terraforce® installation in Fraser Valley and Lower Mainland, British Columbia:

Sun Valley Masonry
Trevor Samulski
Tel: 604-853-4263
Cell: 778-549-3525
Email: [email protected]

For Terraforce® installation in Powell River and surrounds, British Columbia:

Stacked Construction Powell River
Severin Samulski
Tel: +778 908 1296
Email: [email protected]

10/06/2026

47 Years of Building Retaining Walls that Last

Since 1979, Terraforce Retaining Walls® has been developing retaining wall and permeable paving systems that hold up in the real world, from steep rural access roads to large commercial developments.

That longevity comes from practical design, consistent block quality and a network of licensed manufacturers and recommended contractors who build to the same standard in every market. It is why Terraforce® walls are still standing, and still performing, decades after they were installed.

Whether the brief is a garden terrace, a stormwater solution or a major infrastructure slope, the approach remains the same: a system that is simple to install, built to last and designed to work with the land.

Find out more at www.terraforce.com

09/22/2026

At their property in White Peaks, Western Australia, Jess and Phil Hadley have built a landscape installation that draws admiration from design professionals and passersby alike. Working with Terraforce® L16 blocks supplied by The Block Makers, the design proves refinement can be just as striking as boldness.

Tiered terracing, gently curved staircases and integrated planter boxes break up the wall faces with texture and life. The L16 block's smaller size and lighter weight made tighter radii and finer detailing possible, while a water-wise planting palette softens the hardscape without competing with it. The result feels both designed and organic, a balance that speaks to the owners' thoughtful approach.

Selected Terraforce® products are manufactured under license by Tristar Brick & Block, British Columbia:

Harj Kalkat
Phone: 604 859 3651
Cell: 778 908 1299
Email: [email protected]
Web: https://www.tristarblock.com

For Terraforce® installation in Fraser Valley and Lower Mainland, British Columbia:

Sun Valley Masonry
Trevor Samulski
Tel: 604-853-4263
Cell: 778-549-3525
Email: [email protected]

For Terraforce® installation in Powell River and surrounds, British Columbia:

Stacked Construction Powell River
Severin Samulski
Tel: +778 908 1296
Email: [email protected]

09/18/2026

Terraforce Retaining Walls® rock face finish retaining walls bring both strength and natural beauty to this residential project at Regenstein Estate in Windhoek, Namibia. The textured block profile echoes the rugged rocky hillside backdrop, blending the structure seamlessly into its landscape while providing reliable soil retention on the sloped terrain. Curved sections and stepped wall runs showcase the flexibility of the system in adapting to varied site contours.

Blocks supplied by Terraforce® Licensed manufacturer, Smart Pave Namibia, Namibia.

09/15/2026

Terraforce Retaining Walls® rock face retaining walls take on a striking form when they follow the natural curve of a slope. The rugged, natural stone-textured block face includes planting in the setback created between each course, softening the wall itself with cascading groundcover.

Above and between the wall tiers, the terraces are landscaped separately, with lawn, ornamental grasses, and seasonal planting beds completing the layered, terraced look, while curving paver paths trace the base of the walls and link the different levels.

Rock face wall systems like this are well suited to large-scale residential and commercial developments where long, curving batters need both stability and a finished aesthetic that complements surrounding gardens and public spaces.

Selected Terraforce® products are manufactured under license by Tristar Brick & Block, British Columbia:

Harj Kalkat
Phone: 604 859 3651
Cell: 778 908 1299
Email: [email protected]
Web: https://www.tristarblock.com

For Terraforce® installation in Fraser Valley and Lower Mainland, British Columbia:

Sun Valley Masonry
Trevor Samulski
Tel: 604-853-4263
Cell: 778-549-3525
Email: [email protected]

For Terraforce® installation in Powell River and surrounds, British Columbia:

Stacked Construction Powell River
Severin Samulski
Tel: +778 908 1296
Email: [email protected]

09/08/2026

Terraforce Retaining Walls® Blocks Terrace Steep Slope to Create Space for New Water Park

Terracing a steep slope next to a busy urban hotel district, this project made room for a new water park where the ground once dropped away sharply.

Curved retaining walls built from Terraforce® round face blocks step down the site in a series of sweeping terraces, following the natural contours rather than fighting them.

The round face profile leaves pockets for planting between the blocks, and creeping groundcover has already begun to soften the stacked lines of the walls, with roses and shrubs taking root along the terraces.

Set against a dense backdrop of apartment blocks, the walls turn a difficult, confined site into usable, level ground, freeing up space for the water park's infrastructure while keeping the slope stable and green.

Selected Terraforce® products are manufactured under license by Tristar Brick & Block, British Columbia:

Harj Kalkat
Phone: 604 859 3651
Cell: 778 908 1299
Email: [email protected]
Web: https://www.tristarblock.com

For Terraforce® installation in Fraser Valley and Lower Mainland, British Columbia:

Sun Valley Masonry
Trevor Samulski
Tel: 604-853-4263
Cell: 778-549-3525
Email: [email protected]

For Terraforce® installation in Powell River and surrounds, British Columbia:

Stacked Construction Powell River
Severin Samulski
Tel: +778 908 1296
Email: [email protected]

09/02/2026

Ten luxury homes. One challenge: steep, heavily contoured ground in Bishopscourt, Western Cape, South Africa.

For the Exeter Estate development by KingsHill Group, The Keep and New Land Developments, raised building platforms were needed to carve out space for tennis courts, lap pools, steam rooms, w**e cellars and multi-car garages on each 650 to 800 m² erf.

The solution was Terraforce® L12 blocks in charcoal, round face out, stacked in three 2m terraces at 70-degree angles. The round face left room for topsoil, allowing ten indigenous ground creeper species to be planted along the walls by Alan Dawson Gardens.

Blocks were supplied by Terraforce® licensed manufacturer Klapmuts Concrete / Cape Retaining Systems. A total of 30 000 L12 blocks were installed on site by Decorton Retaining Systems, their first project using the L12 in charcoal with a round face finish.

Subsoil and sand drainage layers run behind every cut embankment, with the bottom third of each wall concrete-filled and the larger walls geogrid reinforced, as specified by consulting engineer Dennis Belter of Gadomski Consulting Engineers.

08/28/2026

Sneak peek: Terracing a mountainside in eZulwini, Eswatini

High up on the mountainside above eZulwini, Eswatini, Terraforce Retaining Walls® round face retaining walls are holding back some of the highest cut slopes the system has tackled to date. Built for the new International Convention Centre and five-star hotel and resort, the tiered walls reach up to 26m in height, with EFS Construction, a Terraforce® licensed manufacturer and recommended contractor, supplying and installing over 267 000 blocks across the site.

Seedling pockets built into the concrete infill mean the walls were never meant to stay bare. Years on, palms, agaves and flowering shrubs have taken hold across the tiers, with the scalloped block lines still visible beneath the growth, tying the structure back into the surrounding hillside.

The full story on this landmark stabilisation project is coming soon!

Selected Terraforce® products are manufactured under license by Tristar Brick & Block, British Columbia:

Harj Kalkat
Phone: 604 859 3651
Cell: 778 908 1299
Email: [email protected]
Web: https://www.tristarblock.com

For Terraforce® installation in Fraser Valley and Lower Mainland, British Columbia:

Sun Valley Masonry
Trevor Samulski
Tel: 604-853-4263
Cell: 778-549-3525
Email: [email protected]

For Terraforce® installation in Powell River and surrounds, British Columbia:

Stacked Construction Powell River
Severin Samulski
Tel: +778 908 1296
Email: [email protected]