Sundolitt EPS the perfect landscaping material

Weighing only 1% the weight of traditional fill, Sundolitt expanded polystyrene (EPS) is continuing to prove itself as a modern and innovative civil engineering and construction material for landscaping projects as well as road construction, embankments, noise bund and retaining wall applications. this versatile material's popularity has grown due to the increased drive to find more sustainable fill options for landscaping whilst also taking into consideration the varied and unstable ground inherent throughout the UK.

EPS does not add any significant weight to the existing ground, even if there is extra load from any structure above. One hundred times less dense than traditional materials, due to its closed cell formation, EPS reduces settlement caused by soil compaction, also meaning that it can be used on weaker sub-soil structures than traditional material. This high strength-to-weight ratio of EPS and its lightweight nature makes it ideal for both hard and soft landscaping, ensuring that pressures are reduced on underlying structures and services.

Manufactured in a wide range of densities from 15kg/m³ up yo 43kg/m³ and a range of compressive strengths from 70kPa to 350kPa, the versatility of Sundolitt EPS ensures its suitability for a wide range of landscaping specifications and applications, according to client requirements.

A great example of soft landscaping was at the prestigious Quarter Mile development in central Edinburgh, where Sundolitt EPS was used to avoid the transfer of load onto an underground carpark. The landscaping requirements for this project were quite exact and stringent in that the architects required to create a contoured area of grass and tress for an area in between the new-build section and the existing Infirmary buildings. This area was on top of the underground car park and traditional fill would have been too heavy to create the mounds and amount of contouring required.

Sundolitt EPS has also been installed in urban environments where hard landscaping was required over structures and service tunnels. Different grades can be combined to create the most economic design for the individual specification, with the knowledge that minimal load will be transferred to the structure below, yet with the assurance of a firm foundation to accept any hard landscaping finish.

Extruded polystyrene (XPS) can also be used as a fill material and has recently been used at the major redeveloped of Battersea Power Station. Installed to provide temporary parking for delivery trucks supplying the huge scheme, XPS was specified for the project due its load-bearing characteristics yet lightweight nature ensuring undue stress would not be transferred to the existing slab.