Annual Report 2004 [PDF/1.1MB]

Terre Armée Civil Engineering Business
The Terre Armée Civil Engineering Method, Praised Worldwide
Results That Are Proof Of Excellence
Terre Armée method
Terre Armée method used to create a bridge
Terre Armée design wall
The Terre Armée civil engineering method uses
ribbed steel strips embedded in layers to grip soil
strongly enough to enable the construction of high,
vertical banking. In 1974, we acquired a patent
license for sale of the method in Japan from the
French company, Terre Armée International Inc. In
French, the word terre means earth or soil, and
Armée means reinforce.
Up to now, the Terre Armée civil engineering method
has been successfully employed at over 13,000
locations in Japan, providing over 4.2 million square
meters of banking. In a small country like Japan, the
method is highly regarded for the contribution it
makes to the efficient use of land and the improved
safety it offers. The method is now used in over
25,000 locations providing a total of over 16 million
square meters of banking in 36 countries worldwide.
Kawasho also offers Terravert, a Terre Armée
method using concrete panels together with mesh
panels for vegetation to provide a natural
appearance, and the Techspan method for creating
road and waterway culverts. Customers include
government and public offices involved in public
works.
Outstanding Cost Performance
The Terre Armée method enables construction of a
wide range of roads and assures high-quality
results at an exceptionally low cost. The construction
of high vertical banking isn't the only advantage of
the method. Because it uses prefabricated materials
of uniform quality, it minimizes such processes as
frame assembly, reinforcement and concreting while
eliminating the need for special technology and
heavy machinery to dramatically cut construction
time. And since the method uses a thin, lightweight
concrete skin with high-strength steel strips, it also
dramatically reduces costs. The Techspan method is
a 3-hinge arched culvert construction method using
prefabricated concrete arches. As these arches are
quick and easy to erect, traffic is obstructed for a
much shorter time during construction.
An Environment-Friendly
Civil Engineering Method
Diagram of Terre Armée
method construction
Another valuable feature of the Terre Armée method
is that its flexibility enables the creation of wall and
banking designs that blend with the surrounding
natural environment.
Terravert provides reinforcement for sloping banking.
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