Rotunda Museum gets the perfect fill material

Fillmaster by Vencel Resil was specified by structural engineers English Landscapes for the landscaping of the newly refurbished Rotunda Museum and gardens in Scarborough.

Expanded polystyrene is widely recognised for its benefits as a strong and lightweight fill material, which was one of the main reasons it was chosen by structural engineers English Landscapes to provide a firm basis for the refurbished footpaths and gardens, which lie above an underground car park.

370m of Fillmaster50 was supplied, which was perfect for the soft ground conditions and could be easily handled and shaped on site to suit the project's needs.

Adrian Walker, Technical Sales Manager for Vencel Resil explains: "A common problem with conventional fill materials is their weight which often causes unacceptable vertical and horizontal stresses in the underlying soil and the land below".

"Fillmaster was ideal for this site because its strength to weight ratio helped minimize the loading on the underlying car park structure".

"It is also extremely simple to handle and install, requiring no heavy lifting equipment and is easy to deliver to site, which is another major benefit for contractors".

The Rotunda Museum was built in 1826 originally to house the geological rock collections of William Smith, known as 'the father of English geology'.

The landscaping of the Rotunda Museum is part of a GBP3.9m overall restoration programme by Scarborough Borough Council that has taken in total 14 months.

The use of expanded polystyrene in landscaping applications is increasing as it reduces stresses in underlying soil and against structures whilst retaining high performance in strength and integrity.

Its uses include road widening, road supports, embankments, bridge abutments, landscaping and retaining walls.

It is also gaining widespread use in retaining walls, noise bunds and for bridge underfill.

Fillmaster blocks are available in various grades to accommodate different load bearing requirements.

Fillmaster is a highly effective alternative to traditional fill material, since it reduces horizontal and/or vertical stresses in the underlying soil or against structures, whilst retaining high performance in strength and integrity.

Fillmaster is HCFC-free, non-toxic and fully recyclable.

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