At a New Jersey electric plant, Boulderscape camouflaged a utility facility in native rock — sculpting 12,100 square feet of architectural shotcrete into a fractured Hudson Basalt finish, delivered in 6 days at 39% below traditional construction.
Record Installation Time
Savings Over Alternatives
Wall Square Footage
A retaining wall at a New Jersey electrical utility facility required a finish that would visually screen the site and blend naturally with the surrounding landscape. The owner placed a high priority on minimizing the visual impact of the facility, making the architectural finish as important as the structural stabilization itself. Boulderscape's Hudson Basalt finish was selected because it closely reflected the basalt formations common throughout the local geology.
Boulderscape hand sculpted the Hudson Basalt finish across the entire wall surface, incorporating natural fractures, relief, and rock textures to replicate the appearance of native stone. A light earth stain was applied to create realistic color variation and allow the retaining wall to blend seamlessly into the surrounding environment while helping screen the utility facility from public view.
The project encompassed 12,100 square feet of wall surface consisting of a 14" thick structural shotcrete section with an average 3" thick architectural relief over a rock bolt wall system using a 5,000 PSI mix design. The entire scope was completed in just 6 days, delivering a durable retaining wall solution that integrated naturally into the surrounding landscape. 39% under traditional cast in place construction. See our sculpted shotcrete process or explore more shotcrete finishes.
Installed a 14” thick structural shotcrete and a 1”-4” thick architectural shotcrete.
Hudson Basalt
Light Earth Blend
14"
Rock Bolt Wall
5,000 PSI
8%-10% air was needed to help reduce chances of cracking in winter. Hydration stabilizers were used to maintain concrete temperature and extend the finishing time.
