Buildable retaining wall solutions for residential, commercial and infrastructure projects

Retaining walls play an important role in creating usable land, supporting slopes, and enabling successful developments. Whether you're working on a residential project or a larger infrastructure development, Viden provides practical retaining wall designs specific to your project.

We work with property owners, developers, contractors, councils, and geotechnical consultants across a wide range of projects, including residential and commercial developments, subdivisions, infrastructure, transport, education, rural, and council works.

Practical retaining wall design for New Zealand conditions

Successful retaining wall design starts with a clear understanding of site conditions, construction requirements, and long-term performance. We combine structural engineering expertise with real-world construction knowledge to deliver solutions that are safe, efficient, and buildable.

  • Safety and structural performance

  • Compliance with New Zealand standards

  • Seismic resilience

  • Long-term durability

  • Budget and program requirements

  • Construction sequencing

Supporting geotechnical and structural requirements

Every site presents its own challenges. We coordinate with geotechnical consultants to ensure our retaining wall designs respond appropriately to ground conditions, groundwater, seismic loading, slope stability, and existing or adjacent structures.

New retaining walls

From concept to construction, we deliver complete retaining wall design solutions tailored to the needs of each project:

  • Concept and preliminary design

  • Detailed design

  • Construction drawings

  • Producer Statements

  • Building consent documentation

Assessing existing walls

Existing structures can often be assessed, repaired, strengthened, or upgraded to extend their service life and improve performance:

  • Structural inspections

  • Condition assessments

  • Failure investigations

  • Remedial design

  • Strengthening solutions

  • Replacement recommendations

Seismic strengthening

Retaining walls in New Zealand must be designed and assessed with seismic performance in mind. We help clients understand and improve the resilience of existing structures.

  • Seismic assessments

  • Seismic retrofit design

  • Retaining wall strengthening

  • Resilience improvements

  • Risk reduction strategies

Choosing the right retaining wall

We select retaining wall systems based on site conditions, performance requirements, and constructability to ensure the most effective solution for each project: timber pole walls, reinforced concrete walls, anchored retaining walls, reinforced soil walls, gabion and rock walls, slope stabilisation structures, coastal and erosion protection structures.

Construction phase support

We remain involved throughout construction to ensure our design is successfully delivered on site through site inspections, construction monitoring and responsive contractor support.

Feature project before and after:
Cashmere retaining wall

Builder: Retaining Canterbury‍ ‍Photography: Proform Group

An aerial view of a two-story house with a gray exterior, multiple sliding glass doors, a large wooden deck, and a round trampoline in the backyard. The yard and surrounding gardens are lush with green trees and bushes, and neighboring houses are visible nearby.
An aerial view of a two-story house with a gray exterior, multiple sliding glass doors, a large wooden deck, and a round trampoline in the backyard. The yard and surrounding gardens are lush with green trees and bushes, and neighboring houses are visible nearby.
Aerial view of a modern, multi-story house with exterior decks and a backyard, surrounded by lush greenery and neighboring residential homes.

Testimonial from Retaining Canterbury:

“We’ve worked with the Tim and the team at Viden Group on a number of projects over the years and have always found them great to deal with.

They’re practical, responsive and understand what’s involved on site, which makes a big difference when you’re trying to get a project built efficiently and to a high standard. Their engineering advice is clear, well considered and backed up with good communication throughout the job.

We really value the relationship we’ve built with the Viden team and look forward to working with them on plenty more projects in the future.”

Experience across a wide range of retaining wall systems

At Viden, we combine practical engineering experience with a clear understanding of how projects are delivered on site. Whether you're planning a new retaining wall, assessing an existing structure, or looking for early advice, our team provides straightforward engineering support from concept through to construction.