gabions

Wire mesh containers

Gabions are wire mesh containers filled with rocks, stone, or rubble, used in civil engineering and military fortification.

They form retaining walls, prevent erosion along riverbanks, and provide protective barriers.

Historically, wicker baskets filled with earth served as battlefield defenses: The soldiers stacked gabions to shield the artillery position.

Modern gabions typically use steel mesh cages.

construction

mesh

Interlocking open weave

wireThin metallic conductor
basketWoven carrying vessel
cageBarred confinement structure

retaining · revetment · erosion control · flood defense · barrier · modular · hexagonal · welded · galvanized · geotextile

fill

riprap

Loose stone for stabilization

aggregateCombined sum total
bouldersLarge rounded stones
cobbleWorn stone for paths

granite · limestone · basalt · rubble · crushed rock · river rock · fieldstone · ballast · armoring · gravel

landscape

terracing

Cutting slopes into steps

plantersVessels for cultivating vegetation
decorativeServing to beautify
sculpturalRelating to carved forms

permeable · naturalistic · green wall · water feature · seating · architectural · aesthetic · boundary · hardscape

Categories

Water Engineeringdams, levees, canals, aqueducts, spillways
canalsGrand Canal, Panama Canal, Suez Canal, Erie Canal, canal boat
coastal structuresseawalls, pier, breakwaters, jetties, breakwater
flood controllevee, levees, flood channels, dike, dikes
coastal protectionseawall, seawalls, breakwater, breakwaters, jetty
geotechnicssoil, soil type, soil classification, soil structure, subsurface

Opposites

construction method

gabionspoured concrete

Hardite mixed and placed

reinforced concrete · brick walls

permanence and formality

gabionspolished concrete

Smoothed, glossy cement surface

Family

Familiarity: Top 1,000,000
Profile: Used worldwide · Timeless · Concrete · Rated G