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Monarch Casino Resort Spa

Preparing for the winters is a must in Black Hawk Colorado. In wanting to make a safe transition area from the outdoor environment to the indoors is what Monarch Casino Resort & Spa was thinking when it came time for their renovation. After 5 years of construction, the Monarch Casino, opened to the public in November 2020. With the build out managed by PCL Construction, the casino doubled its size to provide expanded amenities to their customers including new luxury hotel space, new restaurants and a world class spa and pool facility. To help welcome their guests, the casino also built a new parking garage with an attached high-end Porte Cochere.

First impressions are everything

What better way to welcome people to the luxury casino than to provide a luxury drop off area. Bomanite Licensee, Colorado Hardscapes was contacted in mid-2018 by PCL Construction to install over 14,000 sq. ft. of decorative concrete in the new Porte Cochere area. Designed by MBA Architecture (One Studio D+A) Bomanite stamped and stained concrete systems were a part of the specification from day one. Working closely with the project’s designer, including providing multiple rounds of concrete sampling and a visit to Colorado Hardscapes’ design center, the architect honed in on two different coordinating colors for the Bomanite Imprinted Concrete System and two colors chosen for an added textural finish of Bomanite Exposed Aggregate System Sandscape Texture. The mix of colors and textures provided specific visual paths to keep cars in specific lanes and to designate curbs and pedestrian friendly areas.

The selected colors and texture of the Bomacron English Sidewalk Slate were picked to enhance the stone veneer and copper covered columns in the area. V cut joints were used throughout all the concrete for the control and decorative joints. A radiant heat system in the concrete keeps the entire area warm and free of snow during the winter months. The Bomanite Sandscape Texture Exposed Aggregate System adds an additional slip resistant benefit.

Every project has its challenges

In this case, the challenge was the snowmelt system. Coordination with the other sub-contractors, specifically the snowmelt subcontractor was a full-time job for the Colorado Hardscapes team. Claiming workspace for decent size daily pours while maintaining slopes and jointing layout took a lot of preplanning and quality control. Pouring 4 different concrete types through the radiant heat system was a forming challenge. In the end with their expertise and craftsmanship Colorado Hardscapes was able to provide a consistent looking concrete installation across the entire area.

Hardscape Satisfaction

After a year of fulfilling the punch list requirements, Colorado Hardscapes was very proud of the final outcome of the Bomanite Decorative Concrete products they installed for the Monarch Casino. The Bomanite Company awarded Colorado Hardscapes the 2020 Best Bomanite Imprint Systems Project Silver Award for creating a comfortable environment for customers with timeless architecture that provides highly detailed precise decorative concrete work for the Monarch Casino Resort & Spa.

Villas of Cave Creek

The Villas of Cave Creek owners chose imprinted concrete to blend with the local environment of the Sonoran Desert. With Visitors from around the world, the owners wanted to provide a top notch experience with their stylish villas that are designed to reflect the warmth of the desert, beauty and tranquility of Cave Creek.

All of the granite walkways throughout the property were replaced with the Bomacron Canyon Stone Pattern, proving to be difficult because the area was comprised of 22 villa courtyards with different elevations that required all the grades to be within ADA compliance. An Integral Color along with a flashing of Color Hardener and a tinted Liquid Release were used to provide a realistic stone look.  The work was installed at the same time when the property was open to the Villas of Cave Creek guests, which added to the challenge of the project.

Per the General Manager of the villas of Cave Creek “It is very rare to find a contracted crew as organized, friendly and hard working as this team. I received many compliments on how friendly everyone was, always acknowledging our guests and asking how their day was going. I watched many of our guests stand, and in some cases follow, the guys working and asking numerous questions. Your guys always smiled while answering and were very patient with them.” The quality of the work is outstanding as you can see in the face of the ramp turndowns which were stripped faced and stamped with the Bomacron Canyon Stone pattern for continuation of the designed walkways.

CoLab CoHousing Community

CoLab is an impressive 7-story podium student housing residential development with 253 apartment units that house 727 individual bedrooms and includes top-notch amenities. The 5-story residential component sits atop a 2-story partially buried parking garage creating a unique above ground level installation for outdoor amenities. Colorado Hardscapes, a Bomanite Decorative Concrete Contractor worked with Landscape Architect, Britina Designs to make the outdoor living space a stylish modern green community. Environmentally conscious, CoLab chose materials and systems to minimize waste and maximize energy.

The CoLab Student Living Housing Community, a USGBC Gold LEED project, brings the outdoors in with smartly styled study spaces, a rooftop deck and several lush outdoor gathering areas for tenants to enjoy; the pool court (Resort-Style Pool), Fire Court (Outdoor Lounge) and Water Court (Table Games) all featuring decorative concrete.  During the design stage Britina Designs visited Colorado Hardscapes Showroom viewing several samples of different concrete systems and to determine the final finishes, aggregates and colors.

Bomanite Exposed Aggregate Systems Sandscape Texture was chosen for the general walkways and courtyards with an inviting eye-catching alternating band of color panels of flatwork. The Bomanite Sandscape Texture was also incorporated into the pool coping with a child safety grip and coordinating color. Bomanite Sandscape Texture utilizes specialized concrete mix designs, additives, decorative mineral aggregates, topical treatments and advanced application procedures to produce a finished product that resembles sand blasted concrete through fine “quarried stone”. Bomanite Sandscape Texture typically involves the use of Bomanite Integral Color and may incorporate specialized natural, regionally selected and qualified sands such as slag, granite, quartz or limestone.

The Bomanite Sandscape Refined Series is similar in design to conventional Sandscape, based on the exposure of fine quartz aggregates but bound in Bomanite Color Hardener. The resulting texture is known as “sugar cube finish”; the feel of the concrete mimics the texture of formed sugar cubes. Due to the use of Bomanite Color Hardener, the Bomanite Sandscape Texture Refined Series is available in a multitude of standard and custom options, including cost effective light-reflective formulations that do not require the use of white cement to reduce heat island effect. The Sandscape Refined Architectural Concrete Finish was installed around the firepit lounge area and included amber glass and crushed mirror glass for a natural reflective nighttime sheen.

The Bomanite Toppings Systems Micro-Top ST, a spray applied concrete resurfacing product, has excellent adhesion and weather resistance with the ability to withstand prolonged pedestrian and light duty vehicular traffic. Bomanite Micro-Top ST provides a tough, slip resistant water-retardant coating that substantially reduces water penetration, freeze-thaw scaling and concrete carbonation making it perfect choice for the exterior areas of this Denver Community Housing development. Colorado Hardscapes placed the Micro-Top ST on curbs, steps and walls with a custom color match to complement the surrounding finishes. Once the finish was complete the owners loved the look so much that they requested an additional application to the front foundation.

A popular growing technique, Colorado Hardscapes installed Board-formed Concrete, for the fire pit, water features and outdoor kitchen BBQ. Board-formed Concrete is a process of patterning concrete that leaves a wood grain image on the finished face of the concrete. Because concrete is extremely well-suited as a finished material in modern design, by imprinting the wood grain on the surface, it visually softens and warms concrete’s somewhat cooler appearance while still allowing concrete to express the construction technique giving a modern yet rustic organic vibe to these CoLab outdoor hangouts.

CoLab achieved LEED GOLD certification with the collaboration efforts from the owner/developer, designers, contractors, and consultants that led to points in the following categories: High Efficiency Heating and Cooling Systems; Energy Efficient Appliances; High Efficiency Hot Water Heating; Energy Efficient Lighting; Indoor Environment Quality; Innovation & Design Process; and Material and Resources. Making a LEED Gold certified community, CoLab provides the peace of mind to tenants of knowing their community was built and operates in an environmentally friendly manner with the generated benefits of energy-efficiency and cost-savings. Everyone worked together to transform a great design into reality, a stylish decorative green living community.

Colorado Hardscapes earned the Bomanite Exposed Aggregate Award Over 6,000 sq. ft Bronze Award for their outstanding and contributing decorative concrete work on the CoLab LEED Gold Co-housing Community Development

Starbucks Brookside (Modena SL)

The General Contractor, J.E. Foster Building Company, contacted Bomanite Licensee, Musselman & Hall Contractors, LLC about a new Starbucks Coffeehouse being built in the Brookside community of Kansas City. Starbucks was considering the incorporation of new flooring material in a prototype store.

Starbucks design studios are located around the world so that their designers can fully understand the communities they serve. The mission of each designer is to create a spectacular Starbucks café experience that is steeped in the local culture and reflects the unique characteristics of each neighborhood.

Starbucks believes a coffeehouse should be a welcoming, inviting and familiar place for people to connect, so they design their stores to reflect the unique character of the neighborhoods they serve. They are also interested in the way design can connect everyone to sustainable building practices and provoke thoughtful questions and engagement with the built environment. To guide their building and design efforts, Starbucks uses the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED® certification program as a benchmark for success.  In addition to reducing energy and water consumption, they incorporate reused and recycled materials wherever possible and often use locally inspired design details and materials in their stores.

After some research and several references, the general contractor worked with the local contractor Musselman & Hall for assistance. Based on a tile sample provided by the Starbucks design team and an overall design concept, Musselman & Hall produced a series of Bomanite Custom Polishing Modena SL samples for the client’s consideration. The samples immediately impressed the Starbucks staff.

The Modena System, unique to Bomanite, is a trowel applied cementitious overlay that contains zero VOC and no solvents in the chemically hardening product with attributes to its “Low-Emitting Materials” LEED credits. Modena is polished to a highly durable finish and is commonly used to renovate floors that are unacceptable candidates for polished concrete. It can be applied as thin as 1/8” or as thick as ¾” dependent upon existing elevations. Modena can be either highly decorative with aggregate exposure or simpler with light aggregate exposure similar to finely ground concrete.

The Modena system contributes to additional LEED accrual points in “Innovation by Design” by its ability to renovate an existing concrete slab that would otherwise be unsuitable for concrete polishing. This provides specifiers the ability to use polished concrete much as they would traditionally select a manufactured tile or other flooring system only without the maintenance requirements. Bomanite Modena is more economical than typical terrazzo, is breathable which minimizes moisture vapor issues, can be colored in any color, lessens the amount of product brought to a jobsite compared to stone or tile and provides all the benefits of polished concrete.

The relatively small project (600 SF) utilized the Bomanite Nickel Gray Integrally Colored Bomanite Modena SL system. The polished overlay was placed at approximately ½” thick. The overlay was ground and polished to a 400-grit finish. Musselman & Hall coordinated with Starbucks artist who utilized a portion of the floor as a canvas to paint a fun and colorful mural. This is the first Starbucks location in the region to utilize the Bomanite Custom Polishing Modena SL flooring system.

The finished floor is a simple, but elegant representation of the design flexibility of decorative architectural concrete and Bomanite’s diverse sustainable offering of floor systems.

AWARDS: 2018 Bomanite Custom Polishing Project – Honorable Mention

The Coloradan (Micro-Top ST)

Built by Coloradans, for Coloradans. The Coloradan, a mixed-use luxury condominium development at Denver Union Station sits in a prime location. It offers a place for residents to live, work, and play.  The layout of the outdoor spaces reflects the idea that the Coloradan is built for people who enjoy an active outdoor lifestyle but do not want to give up the quality of urban living. The project features restaurants and retail at the ground floor as well as three amenity decks for the residents. Landscape Architect, Dig Studio designed the ground level streetscape to integrate and enhance the existing rail terminal. The 5th-floor amenity deck serves private terraces as well as a community garden, which features a harvest table, sink, and serving area alongside an orchard of fruit bearing trees. The 18th floor houses the community fire pit and pool deck; the heated lap pool and spa allow residents to enjoy Colorado’s weather all year long.

Long-term success depends on providing value that extends beyond merely doing on time/on budget work. When the general contractor, GE Johnson, began subcontracting the 19-story Coloradan, Bomanite Licensee, Colorado Hardscapes proposed an achievable price and schedule on the decorative concrete scope of work, however they lost to a lower bidder.

Months later, GE Johnson, called to inquire about Colorado Hardscape’s ability to take on the project for The Coloradan planters and seat walls that would be placed in three separate rooftop lounges because the low bidder backed out of the obligation. Assessing the contractors already advancing critical path schedule, Colorado Hardscapes determined that they simply wouldn’t be able to complete the specified decorative concrete scope in the time available that would meet everyone’s satisfaction. Never willing to simply walk away from a great opportunity to build better relationships, Colorado Hardscapes proposed an achievable alternative that worked with the schedule and corresponded with the architectural intent proposed by Dig Studio.

The general contractor poured the uncolored, form-finished concrete walls using their own forces. Thirty days later, Colorado Hardscapes crew applied Bomanite Topping System Micro-Top ST as an overlay. At just 20 mils-thick, the Bomanite Micro-Top ST coating would be negatively affected by any imperfections in the substrate material, consequently, grinding and patching the form-finished concrete walls until they were completely smooth was imperative. Bomanite Micro-Top ST has excellent adhesion and weather resistance that is perfect for applying over almost any clean, correctly prepared and primed surface including concrete, cement block, tile, metal and wood. Using hopper-applied products, Colorado Hardscapes delivered a sand-finished surface that appears nearly identical to the original specification. Colorado Hardscapes was able to think outside of the box with solutions that met the builder, owner and project designer needs and exceeded their expectations.

AWARDS: 2018 Best Bomanite Toppings Project – Gold Award

South Congress Hotel

Nestled in the heart of trendy SoCo (South Congress Avenue) in Austin, is the South Congress Hotel designed by the Austin architecture firm of Dick Clark + Associates. Bomanite Licensee, Texas Bomanite, joined the process in April 2013 by pricing the exterior architectural concrete working with the Houston office of Manhattan Construction from April to November to revise estimates as the project became more defined. They were awarded the work in November 2013 and the project was completed in late 2015.

Situated on nearly an acre of land, the building spans over 82,000 square feet and includes a hotel, restaurants and retail space. Texas Bomanite’s role in the project included integral color concrete with Bomanite Exposed Aggregate Sandscape Texture and Sandblast paving finishes as well as board-formed concrete planter walls and water features incorporated into walkways, courtyards and outside dining venues.

The South Congress hotel was included in the “It List 2016: The Best New Hotels on the Planet,” by Travel + Leisure Magazine!

The Hilton Anatole Hotel Jade Waters Pool Complex

The Hilton Anatole Hotel is a landmark that spans 45 lush acres in the Dallas Design District just north of downtown. The hotel was constructed in 1979. The hotel has over 1600 guest rooms, ballrooms, five dining venues, a spa and health club, outdoor pool and 7-acre private Sculpture Garden. The hotel is host to many events, conferences, and conventions.

In 2015, Hilton broke ground on Jade Waters, a $20 million seasonal resort pool complex, utilizing 4 of the 7 acres of garden space. Jade Waters features a lazy river, two 180’ water slides, a children’s area and activity pool, leisure pool, swim-up bar and full-service restaurant. Cabanas and day beds are available in addition to the ample lounge seating. Jade Waters is exclusively for the use of hotel guests and health club members.

General Contractors, T&G Constructors, contacted Texas Bomanite in the Design Development phase of the project to work with Landscape Architecture firm TBG’s design team to provide finish options and budgeting to T&G Constructors. The hardscape portion of the project contains 60,000 square feet. Sample Boards of concrete finishes were provided to TBG prior to full-size mockups being constructed on-site. Two finishes from the Bomanite Exposed Aggregate Systems and three different colors were selected by TBG and Hilton from the jobsite mockups. The finishes were Bomanite Sandscape and Bomanite Sandscape Refined systems. The Bomanite Refined finish was also combined with a Bomanite Custom Imprint System to create a unique finish for the area of the project bounded by the Lazy River and referred to as the “Big Island”. This finish was also installed at the “Beach Entry” of the activity pool. The Imprint System combined with the Bomanite Sandscape finish simulates shifting sands on a beach.

Following approval of the mockups, the construction phase began. Due to unusually wet weather and soil conditions, the project had fallen behind schedule. T&G Constructors required an accelerated schedule to maintain the July opening date for the waterpark. This required crews to work six and seven day workweeks as well as holidays for several weeks. The congested site and wet soils presented another obstacle and required daily meetings with T&G Constructors Superintendents and their subcontractors for coordination of work areas as well as laydown areas. Recycled concrete fines was used in place of cushion sand to provide a better base on which to set forms and pour the concrete. Recycled concrete was also used to provide haul routes to get materials and equipment in and out of the site. The waterpark and garden opened in July of 2016 as scheduled.

Marriott Courtyard Hotel

The Marriott Courtyard Asheville Airport Hotels entryway and guests terrace received a much needed beautiful makeover.  Bomanite Licensee, Carolina Bomanite, was called in by the general contractor, Pro Construction, on advice from the owner. The owner, Touchstone Hospitality, was having a workmanship issue with the first pour of stamped concrete by a local contractor. Lack of skilled labor, lack of multiple tools led to a very poorly poured terrace off the meeting area. The client had used Carolina Bomanite before on a Hampton Inn Hotel project and was familiar with the workmanship and asked if they could remedy the issues.

Carolina Bomanite was able to review the project and recommend corrections that were in need for standard regulation pours and stamped concrete work. All of the curb and gutter at the porte-cochere was 11” to low and the area leading to the front door exceeded 5% slope. In addition, a small smoking patio sidewalk had to be reworked with a twist in order to get enough length to keep the slope under 3%. All of these items were noticed by the Carolina Bomanite team. Carolina Bomanite first took control of the grades, and then made some adjustments to the pattern and the project turned out great. The Bomacron English Sidewalk Slate Pattern and Bomacron Slate Texture were used for the porte-cochere area with Bomanite Caramel Color Hardener and Bomanite Forest Brown Release colors. For the circular terrace area, the Bomacron Running Bond Used Brick pattern was installed with a Bomanite Brick Red Color Hardener.

Touchstone Hospitality was very pleased with the work done. Guests are now welcomed with a properly installed, safe, stylish stamped concrete entrance and inviting relaxing stamped concrete terrace.

The Spire

Spire Lofts combine modern design with LEED certified elements that provide style and eco-friendly residences. Amenities include multiple swimming pools, a multi-media theater and elevated dog park, ground level retail, restaurants and coffee shops.

Client Need:
The Spire, a 42-story glass residential tower in the heart of downtown Denver, wanted to upgrade its 9th floor public space, patio, and amenities deck. They were looking for an updated and inviting statement. While looking at the paving options at the Colorado Hardscapes Concrete Design Center, the owners came across a sample that was just what they were looking for.

Solution:
For the bulk of the paving, 11,000 sq. ft. of patios and public space, they chose a Sandstone integral color broom finish. This offered the inviting element they were looking for.

Results:
The 700 sq. ft. amenities deck took on a more eclectic and upbeat look with a Bright White Bomanite Revealed base embedded with white and crystal rock. A floating walkway, comprised of sixty-five 2’ x 2’ stepping stones, completed the new look.

Downtown Marriott Hotel – Renovations

The exterior improvements package recently completed at the Downtown Marriott involved an extensive renovation of the hotel’s entrance and façade. Hotel guests will undoubtedly enjoy the beautiful new finishes as they approach the front entrance. Bomanite Licensee, Musselman & Hall Contractors was responsible for the architectural hardscapes as well as the improvements in the public right-of-way. The scope of work included, in part, the placement of nearly 16,000 SF of integrally colored Bomanite Sandscape Texture sidewalk and paving, and 2,500 SF of Bomanite Revealed sidewalk and paving at the main entrance.

Prior to the start of the project, during the mock-up process, Musselman & Hall Contractors worked closely with Joe Mika of 360 Architecture and hotel management to craft the right combination of colors, aggregates, and finishes to be implemented in the project. After multiple meetings and sample reviews, Mussleman & Hall created the perfect hardscape finishes to blend seamlessly with the other beautiful finishes associated with the project.

Like most projects which involve major renovations to fully functioning facilities, the Downtown Marriott renovation project presented unique challenges. In order to maintain the hotel’s operations, the work had to be phased in such a way that guests could still get in and out of the hotel with limited disruption. Constant coordination and communication was necessary between all team members to complete the work in a timely manner and to the satisfaction of the owner.