Along Route 173 in the San Bernardino mountains, Boulderscape recreated the canyon’s natural geology in shotcrete — sculpting 15,120 square feet of structural and architectural shotcrete into a hand-carved Arrowhead Granite finish with shale beds and cobblestone, delivered in 9 days at 82% below traditional construction.
Record Installation Time
Savings Over Alternatives
Wall Square Footage
The original design for this Caltrans Route 173 retaining wall called for cast in place construction. To better reflect the natural character of the Lake Arrowhead area, Boulderscape proposed a hand sculpted shotcrete finish that replicated the surrounding geology and the historic cobblestone masonry found throughout the region. Full scale mockups were developed and approved by Caltrans District 8 architects and engineers before production began.
Working from detailed geological and architectural design drawings, Boulderscape artisans hand sculpted the wall to incorporate natural fractures, shale bedding, exfoliation patterns, and traditional cobblestone masonry. Each cobblestone was individually shaped and layered to replicate the appearance of historic stonework found throughout the Arrowhead community.
The project encompassed 15,120 square feet of wall surface consisting of a 12 inch structural shotcrete section with an average 12 inch architectural relief over a soil nail wall system using a 4,500 PSI mix design. The entire wall was completed in just 9 days, providing a durable retaining wall system that blended seamlessly with the surrounding landscape and historic architecture. See our sculpted shotcrete process or explore more shotcrete finishes.
Temporary shotcrete layer, the 8” thick structural shotcrete layer, the 4” - 12” thick architectural layer, forming and pouring of the wall cap, staining of sculpted walls, and all V-ditch work.
Arrowhead Granite W/Shale Beds & Cobble Stone
Earth Tone / Granite Speckle
12"
Soil Nail Wall
4,500 PSI
Warmer climate. No additional additives were added to the concrete mix.
