Structural Engineering · Engineering Glossary
A retaining wall is a structure designed to hold back soil, rock, or other material on one side while providing a vertical or near-vertical face on the other side. Retaining walls must be designed to resist the lateral earth pressure, surcharge loads, hydrostatic pressure, and in seismic zones, dynamic earth pressure.
Common retaining wall types include cantilever walls (the most common engineered type), gravity walls, counterfort walls for tall heights, and mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) walls using reinforced backfill. The structural engineer calculates the active and passive earth pressures using soil parameters from the geotechnical report and designs the wall for overturning, sliding, bearing capacity, and internal structural capacity. Drainage behind the wall is critical — water pressure can more than double the design lateral force. Building departments typically require engineered drawings and calculations for retaining walls over 4 feet in height. Apex Grid provides retaining wall engineering for commercial site development and civil projects.
Apex Grid Engineering maintains this glossary as a resource for architects, contractors, developers, and property owners who encounter unfamiliar engineering terminology on their projects.
View All Engineering TermsApex Grid's licensed PEs provide structural engineering services across multiple jurisdictions — with fast quote turnaround and permit-ready documents.
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