As the SRW industry grew through the 90s various stake holders in the industry including the SRW licensors and their licensed network of local concrete manufacturers worked together in committees to move the industry objectives forward. Marketing, design, and installation were all considered and refined culminating in a BEST PRACTICES MANUAL under a zero failure initiative. While intentions were good, the unintended consequences can be summed up in a very recent quote made famous. “The CURE cannot be worse than the PROBLEM.”
The original intent of geogrid was to improve poor soils. With the NCMA best practices manual published designers are professionally obligated to follow its guidelines making previously acceptable use of onsite soils more challenging. The major geogrid companies are considered minor stake holders in the SRW industry. To the everyday specifying community down to the ultimate buyer it is the wall block that is branded and seen as the end product. It is rarely understood that if not for geogrid the SRW industry would not exist beyond a small tree well, firepit, seat wall, or porch landing.