Bosch Concrete - Circular bio-towall promotes biodiversity

Bosch Beton, together with MVO Nederland, gardener Janse & Berkhof Tuinen and consultancy and engineering firm BTL Advies, developed a unique concrete wall: the bio-turn wall. The wall turns the soil and also allows plants and insects to come to life in it. Unlike other concrete walls, the bio-tile wall stimulates the rapidly declining biodiversity in the Netherlands. By choosing high-quality raw materials that can be reused after demolition of the wall, the wall is fully circular.

Circular bio-turning wall

The concrete wall has spaces cut out in which plants and insect hotels are installed. As a result, the wall absorbs CO₂. In close consultation, we have landscaper Janse & Berkhof and the ecologist from BTL Consulting the plant species selected. Consideration was given to ornamental vegetation, plants that contain attractive food for insects and that stimulate the growth of the insect population. The roots of the plants attach to the back in the underlying soil wall, which allows them to absorb sufficient nutrition and water. Care farm Klein Essen from Kootwijkerbroek made the insect hotels, which are made of loose wooden tubes and are easy to replace.

The production of the wall with holes is done in one pouring process with which there is no material loss afterwards. Without compromising the safety and quality of the retaining wall. High quality raw materials were chosen for the production of the wall that can be reused after the wall is demolished. This means that the wall is fully circular.

The organic retaining walls - twice twelve meters long - are on the Braam family's agricultural property (two hectares) in Voorthuizen. A large part of this land will undergo a transformation into an ecological nature reserve in the near future. The bio-tile wall (L 4 x H 1 meter; excluding planting and insect hotels) is available through concrete manufacturer Bosch Concrete.

Biodiversity

"Biodiversity in the Netherlands is declining rapidly. This has a huge impact on the natural capital we need as humans and economies. We see the effects every day from nitrogen problems to extreme weather conditions. The concrete bio-tile wall shows that it is very well possible to take nature into account," says Maria van der Heijden, managing director of MVO Netherlands. An ecologist from consulting and engineering firm BTL Advies is measuring at two times this year to see if the number of insects is indeed increasing compared to when the wall was installed.

Cross-sector collaboration

The idea for the bio-turning wall originated in the Network Concrete of MVO Nederland, in which more than twenty concrete companies are committed to a more sustainable concrete sector. Thanks to a cross-sector collaboration between concrete manufacturer Bosch Beton, gardener Janse & Berkhof Tuinen and consultancy and engineering firm BTL Advies, they worked together from different areas of expertise right from the design phase. This enabled the parties to arrive at an optimal product.

Social Program Natural Capital

The biokeer wall project is part of the Social Program Natural Capital. In this, CSR Netherlands works with the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality to make the business community aware of the urgency of natural capital, among other things by entering into partnerships.