The La Jolla Seawall was far more than a retaining wall — Boulderscape wove water features and planter pockets into 9,400 square feet of structural and architectural shotcrete, hand-carved into a La Jolla Sandstone finish, delivered in 9 days at 38% below traditional construction.
Record Installation Time
Savings Over Alternatives
Wall Square Footage
The La Jolla Seawall project encompassed far more than the construction of a retaining wall. Boulderscape furnished and installed reinforcing steel, waterproofing systems, integrated planter pockets, and water features directly into the structural and architectural shotcrete wall system. The project required close coordination between structural, architectural, and landscape elements to create a seawall that functioned as both coastal protection and a prominent site feature.
Once the structural wall was completed, Boulderscape artisans hand sculpted a La Jolla Sandstone finish designed to replicate the natural sandstone formations found along the Southern California coastline. A custom light earth stain was applied to blend the seawall into the surrounding shoreline and minimize its visual impact on the coastal setting.
The project encompassed 9,420 square feet of wall surface consisting of a 14" thick structural shotcrete section with an average 5" thick architectural relief over a soil nail wall system using a 5,500 PSI mix design. Because of the aggressive marine environment, the shotcrete mix incorporated hydration stabilizers to promote uniform curing, corrosion inhibitors to protect embedded reinforcement, and integral color to enhance long term appearance. The entire scope was completed in just 9 days, delivering a durable coastal protection system designed to withstand salt exposure, wave action, and the demands of the marine environment. See our sculpted shotcrete process or explore more shotcrete finishes.
Reinforcing steel, waterproofing, water feature creation, planter pockets, and structural/architectural shotcrete for shoring walls.
La Jolla Sandstone
Light Earth Blend
14"
Soil Nail Wall
5,500 PSI
Hydration stabilizers maintained concrete temperature and extended finishing time; corrosion inhibitors protected the steel, and integral color preserved the finish against heavy wave action.
