In Depth Analysis

Boulderscape Services

Caltrans Spec’d this project as a cast in place retaining wall because they didn’t know there was a contractor in the industry that would recreate this elaborate finish using sculpted shotcrete. Boulderscape explained to the Catrans architects that if we can create these finishes by hand, the final look will resemble the exact geology on site and that the cobblestone would be created to match the old real cobble located throughout the City of Arrowhead. Caltrans loved the idea and approved the hand-sculpted finish. Several large mockups where created on site of each of the finishes to prove to Caltrans BSI’s ability to recreate the finishes. Once the mockups where created, serval of the Caltrans District 8 architects, engineers, and project managers showed up to review and approve the finishes. After a few color tweaks, the mockups were approved and the work began. An elaborate wall design was created by Caltrans laying out the exact locations of the geological fractures, shale bedding, exfoliations, and the locations of where the geology joined with the cobblestone. Each of the hand sculpted cobblestone were to increase in diameter as each of the cobble layers were sculpted. This size increase was performed to resembles how the masons of old used to set their real cobble in the area. The soil nail wall that shored up this hill side is 8,860sf in size. Boulderscape installed the temporary shotcrete layer, the 8” thick structural shotcrete layer, the 4” - 12” thick architectural layer, forming and pouring of the wall cap, staining, and all V-ditch work.