Hayward Baker recently completed a soil-nailing project in Arvada, Colo., with a decorative flourish that offers a nice view for the nearby housing development. Workers finished the traditional four-level soil-nail wall, then gave it a natural finish with sculpted shotcrete.

The sculping on this 6,200-square-foot soil-nail wall is meant to emulate area rock formations. Source: Hayward Baker

“Sculpted shotcrete offers the benefit of the proven effectiveness of traditional shotcrete over cast-in-place concrete in terms of cost and time savings. Sculpted shotcrete allows aesthetically pleasing surfaces that can maintain the look of the surrounding environment or enhance the surface of existing walls or earth retention systems,” said Tom Szynakiewicz, senior project manager for the company’s central region.

The Arvada project required a retaining wall to support a deep cut to a slope. Hayward Baker built the 6,200-square-foot soil-nail retaining wall, then finished it off with a 4-inch thick layer of reinforced structural shotcrete. The wall was sculpted and cured, then stained, to match natural rock formations in the area.

“Our American Concrete Institute-certified nozzlemen can create natural-looking rock surfaces as part of any permanent earth retention system,” Szynakiewicz said. “Hayward Baker’s shotcrete services are available as standalone augmentation for existing retaining walls, or they can be part of a complete design-build package.

The company has recently secured similar sculpted shotcrete projects in San Antonio, Texas, for a 36,000-square-foot anchored soldier pile wall; and in Beaumont, Texas, where they will finish off a 9,000-square-foot soil-nail wall on a roadway slope.

For more information about these projects, contact Szynakiewicz at 303-469-1136.

Hayward Baker, a Keller Group company, has worked in ground modification and site improvement for 60 years, and offers a range of foundation support and rehabilitation services. For more information, visit www.haywardbaker.com.