Welcome!
GeoWall at Berkeley (colloquially known as Cal GeoWall) is the geotechnical engineering competition team in U.C Berkeley’s Civil and Environmental Engineering Department.
We design and build small-scale model mechanically stabilized Earth (MSE) retaining systems, completely out of paper, that will hold over 500lbs of sand and applied design loads!
Applying the principles of soil mechanics, reinforcement properties, and retaining system mechanics, our objective is to design our MSE retaining system with the minimum allowable quantity of kraft paper and reinforcements to endure soil and the design loads.
Each year, we compete in the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Mid-Pacific Conference and the National Geo-Institute Conference
Our sample designed MSE retaining system held over 500lbs of sand and nearly 300lbs of an applied surcharge load, using only 10 grams of paper reinforcement in this design!
The greatness of this team is in its members. Without them, this team could not have happened. Their commitment to excellence, the will to learn, and having fun will leave an indelible effect for many years to come. Like an earthquake, these members will set off ripple effects that will continue to grow and bring new leaders into geotechnical engineering.
– James, Project Manager 2023-2024
This team will continue to represent a great introduction into geotechnical engineering and civil engineering as a whole. Whether you were admitted as a freshman or transfer, are undecided on what to concentrate on in civil engineering, or if you’re from a major outside of civil engineering, we welcome everyone to this awesome team and the many memories to be made.
To quote our colleagues at Cal Sustainable Solutions, “We pride ourselves on being a truly welcoming space, passionate about our work and more, and if you share the same interest, we’d be delighted to have you.”