Soil Vaults
What is a Structural Soil Vault?
A structural soil vault system is an underground matrix that is designed to provide space for soil and vegetation in urban areas where there is limited space for traditional landscaping and trees.
Soil vaults in urban environments are typically made up of modular units that can be stacked on top of each other to create a multi-level structure. These structures are designed to provide adequate growing medium for plants and trees, while also providing stormwater management and other environmental benefits.
Why do Urban Trees need a Structural Soil Vault System?
Not every soil structure is conducive to the growth of plants and trees, urban soil least of all. Tree growth and fertility are strongly influenced by it, as it affects the movement of air, water, and other nutrients required for trees to flourish. Effectively the ‘architecture of the soil’, it is usually the most critical element in the success or failure of urban trees.
Well-structured soil functions like a reservoir. It enables a tree to accept, store and transmit water, nutrients, and energy and provides room in which roots can propagate. Good soil allows the space required for life and the necessary biochemical exchanges for growth.
Urban trees are frequently planted in cramped pits with inadequate subsoil, leading to stunted growth and root systems that explore the area beneath paved surfaces in search of nutrients. This can cause significant damage to the integrity of urban infrastructure, resulting in upheaval and safety hazards. Citygreen’s innovative soil vault products provide landscape architects, engineers, and arborists with the tools to create robust and structurally beneficial systems that promote healthy root growth and prevent infrastructure damage, ensuring the long-term success of both urban tree planting initiatives and surrounding construction.”
To support pedestrian movement and vehicular traffic loads, paved surfaces need a solid and compacted ground. However, this can make it challenging to provide adequate space for urban trees without compromising the structural integrity of the pavement or compromising and giving the tree less then ideal living conditions which leads to diminished returns from the tree and early tree death. Citygreen provides landscape architects, engineers, and arborists with high-quality soil-volume products that create strong and structurally beneficial systems. These systems promote root growth while also providing sufficient support for urban infrastructure, allowing for the successful integration of urban trees into the built environment.
Contact us for more information on its importance and the soil structure systems that we can provide.
Learn More about Soil Vaults for Healthy Trees Here
“Great customer service, quick response times and a very in depth QA system with constant support.”
“Citygreen is a very professional business, and I found everything was great in terms of deliveries, product supply and information. It was all forthcoming and helped us to complete the project.”
“Citygreen offered training and invaluable technical assistance during the works.”
“Our experience, in working with a Citygreen Design Studio was second to none. We found responses from the design studio to be very timely, and technically thorough. We went backwards and forwards a number of times, looking at different iterations of the design and, nothing was too much trouble to examine and explore different possibilities. I would highly recommend the Citygreen Design Studio to any future client considering using your services.”
“We are big on compliance on all projects, and the fact that their SmartCertify cloud platform covers all bases, and supports their 20 year warranties, is critical – especially that these pits are being installed under roadways and footpaths.”
"I reviewed all the previous projects that we have installed in the past couple years using your product and I can happily report back that we have 0% mortality in the soil cells, which is incredible!"