Southfield, Michigan | A catastrophic streambank erosion event threatened a beautiful residence overlooking the Rouge River basin. The erosion of the riverbank had undermined the drip-lines of 300-year-old white oak trees that sheltered the house overlooking the river. Tim Nichols Architect contacted Pat Durack of the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality who is responsible for the rivers and streams in Southeast Michigan to discuss a solution. Tim and Pat designed a plan that included replacing the soil and redirecting the erosive flows of the river with cross-vanes and a double-tiered boulder retaining wall. Despite regular dramatic storm water flood events this reach of the river has been stabilized for a decade. This is time lapse video of the crew building boulder retaining walls along the Rouge River in Southfield, Michigan.