Semi-Automated Retaining Walls

Background

The client originally asked for 2D PDF drawings. Given the complexity of the site, the team pushed for 3D delivery instead. This script is what made that switch possible within the same fee.

What I built

The script automatically selects and generates the correct retaining wall type based on wall height and the design ground level, ensuring sufficient ground depth under L-shaped walls. Wall parameters are driven from a spreadsheet but can also be changed parametrically, and it makes it straightforward to identify where bespoke walls are required rather than standard types.

How it works

Speckle integration attaches concrete volume, including price and embodied carbon cost, wall type and other spreadsheet attributes directly to each wall object. The complete model with combined wall statistics can then be pulled through Speckle into a federated model for interrogation and review.

Outcome

Delivery approach changed from 2D to 3D on a project where it would otherwise have stayed flat. Using Speckle as a data interoperability layer inside a computational design pipeline, rather than just as a model viewer, was uncommon at the time and remains rare in civil engineering teams.