At UC San Diego’s Ridge Walk housing neighborhood, Boulderscape brought an over-budget design back in line — sculpting 72,830 square feet of structural and architectural shotcrete in a custom Exposed Series and River Wash finish, delivered in 92 days at 34% below traditional construction.
Record Installation Time
Savings Over Alternatives
Wall Square Footage
UC San Diego originally specified integral color cast in place concrete walls with a sandblasted finish for its new student housing neighborhood. When construction costs exceeded the project budget, Boulderscape proposed a shotcrete alternative capable of achieving the same architectural intent while providing a more economical solution. Through a series of approved mockups, Boulderscape demonstrated that the desired appearance could be achieved using specialized exposed aggregate finishes, including the development of a custom River Wash finish designed to replicate the layered appearance of a natural riverbed.
Boulderscape installed both the E250 Exposed finish and the River Wash finish across 72,830 square feet of wall surface, preserving the architect's design vision while helping bring the project back within budget.
The project consisted of an 8" thick to 14" thick structural shotcrete section with an average 1" thick architectural relief over a formed wall system using a 5,000 PSI mix design. The entire scope was completed in 92 days, delivering a durable architectural wall system that met the project's aesthetic, performance, and budget objectives. See our sculpted shotcrete process or explore more shotcrete finishes.
Boulderscape installed all control wires, integral color shotcrete exposed sand finish and strata River Wash finish placed over several walls totaling 72,830sq ft.
Exposed Series - E250 and Strata Series - River Wash
Omaha Tan
8" - 14"
Formed Wall
5,000 PSI
Hydration Stabilizer
