Soldier pile wall (Berlin wall)
Soldier pile wall (Berlin wall)
The soldier pile (Berlin) wall is a flexible, cost-efficient solution for shallow excavations. Vertical steel profiles are driven into the ground and lagging is placed between them — either during excavation, with timber or concrete boards (type 1), or up front with vibrated steel plates (type 2). A trusted technique wherever site conditions allow.
When to use
- Temporary, shallow excavations — up to 3 m without bracing, up to 8 m with anchors or struts (type 1)
- Renovations, basements and lift pits in cohesive soils or dense sands above the water table
- Urban sites with sufficient distance to existing foundations
- Optionally as a lost outer formwork for a permanent basement wall
What we deliver
- Profile selection, embedment, spacing (1 to 2.1 m) and any ground anchors, struts or tie-back piles
- Stability check to EN 1997-1 (Eurocode 7) with the Belgian National Annex
- Layout plan, sections and full calculation report
Technical notes
- Earth retention only — not watertight; groundwater must be at least 0.5 m below the excavation level
- Top deflections are substantial (> 20 mm) even with bracing — the 45° rule of thumb towards foundations only applies if displacements at excavation level stay below 10 mm
- Vibration monitoring to NBN B 03-003 is required when driving within 20 m of vibration-sensitive structures
- Tolerances: 50 mm horizontal, ±100 mm vertical, 1.3 % tilt — stricter tolerances on request
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