Along San Diego’s Mission Valley trolley line, Boulderscape softened rigid transit infrastructure with flowing rock — sculpting 32,000 square feet of architectural shotcrete into a Mission Valley Sandstone finish, delivered in 14 days at 36% below traditional construction.
Record Installation Time
Savings Over Alternatives
Wall Square Footage
A series of soil nail walls were constructed along San Diego's Mission Valley trolley line to provide long term slope stabilization while enhancing the appearance of the transit corridor. Because the walls extended through a highly visible urban setting, the architectural finish was designed to soften the rigid geometry of the surrounding infrastructure and create a more natural landscape.
Boulderscape hand sculpted its Mission Valley Sandstone finish across multiple retaining walls, incorporating sweeping strata lines, natural fractures, and layered rock textures inspired by the local geology. A medium earth stain was applied to complement the surrounding environment and create the appearance of naturally weathered sandstone throughout the corridor.
The project encompassed 31,683 square feet of wall surface consisting of an 11" thick structural shotcrete section with an average 3" thick architectural relief over a soil nail wall system using a 4,500 PSI mix design. The entire scope was completed in just 14 days, delivering a durable slope stabilization solution that enhanced the visual character of the transit corridor. 36% under traditional cast in place construction. See our sculpted shotcrete process or explore more shotcrete finishes.
Installed an 11” thick structural shotcrete and a 1”- 4” thick architectural shotcrete.
Mission Valley Sandstone
Medium Earth Blend
11"
Soil Nail Wall
4,500 PSI
Warmer climate. No additional additives were added to the concrete mix.
