Level 1 Retaining Wall Sections 3,2,1

In the previous post we saw the steel reinforcing rods and mats being built, hung, and set in place in the running footers.
http://whs2010.blogspot.com/2008/04/how-is-retaining-wall-formed.html

We have been steadily pumping concrete over the last two weeks! Our school is organized in sections and the retaining wall for section 3 is mostly completed.

This photo shows the concrete wall after the removal of the forms that are assembled on site. A crane is used to remove them and they are moved and reused as the wall progresses.

These walls are double matted, keyed, and poured in sections as they are "cast in place". We are not using precast concrete. At this mid point we have poured over 700 cubic yards of concrete. A concrete truck hauls about 7 yards! Do the math! We are just getting started.
In this image you can see the fill area on the parking lot side or front of the school. The right angle indicates where drains will be put in place and the backfilled with gravel to the height of the parking lot. Tons of gravel. Many tons!
This is a pier or doweled column support. The lower portion that flares out will be in the footer and the verticals will tie into that. In this photo you can see the beginning of the walls in Section 2 and 1. The piers are about 20 feet tall. To give you a sense of scale, the left corner of the photo is about 1/2 the length of the school. The distance between the outside retaining walls for level 1 is approximately 1000 feet.

Beauty is in the eye of this beholder. Hope you can enjoy this arrangement of pure line, shape, color, and form.