Archives

Eastside Regional Park Rec Center

The Beast Urban Park in El Paso, TX, recently renamed from Eastside Regional Park, has completed Phase I of a 92-acre development. Once completely finished it will be the largest city operated park in the area. Featuring world-class aquatic amenities, the Beast Urban Park brings much needed public facilities to a residential community that grew faster than anticipated and greatly outpaced recreational resources. The new, three-part complex will include a state-of-the-art natatorium with a 50-meter competition swimming pool, a multi-generational community center with a gymnasium and multipurpose classrooms, and an outdoor waterpark highlighted by El Paso’s first wave simulator. All of these facilities will be surrounded by a landscaped walking path and public art. With Perkins + Will Architects selected for the Phase 1 Design, Sundt Construction was contracted for the build.

Among the project’s many complexities, assembling the building form of the recreation center had been a puzzle of literal proportions. Constructed of concrete tilt-up panels, Sundt Construction leveraged their knowledge of concrete, as the panels were constructed on-site, framed, reinforced, cast, and erected as the building’s primary structure and exterior skin. “The challenge in these precast panels begins with their unusual shape,” shares Sundt Construction Project Manager Enrique Esplain, of the Z-shaped monolithic, exterior wall sections, which are 40 feet tall and 18 feet wide. “We are used to casting concrete panels this large, but the awkward angles made them hard to lift and hard to erect. Color is also an issue. There is an inconsistency received on the finish with site-cast concrete. This is based on placement, weather, casting techniques, timing, and application of curing compounds and bond breakers. The City didn’t want grey concrete, so we needed to come up with something that feels very much like El Paso.”

Colorized concrete can be achieved in many different ways including adding an integral color to the concrete mix before it is poured or applying any of many different types of dyes, paints, or stains to the concrete after it has cured. Initially, in El Paso, the design called for using an integral color, which is one of the most common ways of adding color to concrete. By adding color pigment admixtures to the concrete before it is poured, contractors are generally able to create a layered sense of color that results in a multi-tonal appearance similar to natural stone. After developing two different 3’ x3’ panel mock-ups using integral color mixes that didn’t secure the City of El Paso’s approval, the Sundt team recommended trying a stain instead.

Sundt Construction approached Bomanite Licensee, Bomanite Artistic Concrete, about doing an acid stain on the concrete panels for the Beast Urban Park. Bomanite Artistic Concrete was thrilled with the opportunity to participate in such a dynamic public commission. The process of staining the panels began with clearly establishing the city’s desired aesthetic, which was less than exact in the beginning. Bomanite Artistic Concrete’s President Aaron Echaniz noted that “the City wanted a treatment that made the panels fit in with the surrounding landscape but also complements the unique, very modern architecture. We did several different mock-ups before finally settling on a treatment that falls somewhere between deep rust and old leather.”

The chosen solution was Bomanite’s Patène Artectura System, a topically-applied coloration system that simulates a semi-weathered, antiquing effect. Because the acid-based stain was to be applied to the panels once they were tilted-up in their final place, the process for staining them had to be dialed in and approved before the work could begin. Using a compressor and an industrial sprayer, the acid-based Patène Artectura was sprayed on the vertical panels by hand working from the top down. Workers had to be very mindful of maintaining a consistent distance between the sprayer and the panels to eliminate unintended blotching while troweling away any drips.

“On the technical side, one thing that was really important was prepping each panel to receive the stain,” says Echaniz of the process’s potential complications. Burs were carefully scraped off panels before each was thoroughly sandblasted to open the concrete’s pores so that the stain could fully penetrate the surface. Once the stain was applied, an acrylic sealant was added to give the colorized panels a fade-free permanence that will last a lifetime in El Paso’s arid climate.

“We are very proud to be a part of this magnificent project” finishes Echaniz of his firm’s role in El Paso’s newest park, which is expected to open to the public in 2021. “Craftsmanship is very important in our work and this community-enhancing project is going to bring a lot of joy to the people of El Paso for generations to come.” Bomanite Artistic Concrete received the Gold Award for the Best Bomanite Toppings Systems Project for their dedication in exceptional solutions to concrete challenges of all sorts and scales.

Downtown Bellevue Park

The expansion and redesign of Bellevue’s Downtown Park was a long-time vision for civic leaders.  Belarde Company installed a variety of stairs, sidewalks, and plazas throughout the multi-acre site.

A key architectural concrete feature is what appears to be a small wooden bridge at the Children’s Inspiration Park area.  At closer inspection the bridge is made of concrete.  The bridge planks and sides highlight the Bomacron “12” Boardwalk” pattern from the Bomanite Imprint Systems.  The installation of a horizontal concrete imprinted surface by itself is fairly straightforward.  However, constructing all the surfaces to replicate wooden planks required special attention to detail. Constructing the bridge required a monolithic horizontal and vertical concrete pour, strip color, imprint and finish process.   Even the ends of the ‘planks’ utilized the Bomanite system.  In addition, the bridge was embedded in the banks of an artificial stream water “Splash Pad” play area. Belarde Company constructed the stream bed using a hand-seeded multi-colored glass and aggregates system on its surface.

The project presented several challenges beyond the multiple surfaces of the bridge.  The project had a very aggressive schedule.  The owner, the City of Bellevue, was adamant that the project had to be completed before their annual Fourth of July Celebration which had been held at the Downtown Bellevue Park for over 30 years.  Adding to the schedule constraints and to the inherent difficulties of installing various architectural concrete systems, Bellevue recorded its wettest winter ever!  The Belarde Company team built a temporary tent structure over the bridge’s work area to adapt to the rain ensuring that a high-quality project would be delivered on time.   By working closely with the City of Bellevue and Design Concepts, Belarde Company’s experience, attention to detail, and ability to coordinate, ensured the satisfaction of all parties and more importantly, a unique playground that the children visiting this unique interactive play area in Bellevue can enjoy for years to come.

To learn more about the Bellevue Park: https://bellevuewa.gov/city-government/departments/parks/parks-and-trails/parks/bellevue-downtown-park

Owasso Redbud Festival Park

The Owasso Redbud Festival Park is a community-oriented project for the City of Owasso with a large, open green space encompassing one city block of 2.25 acres. The goal of the City was to create an urban core that brings people downtown to the heart of the city. Gh2 Architects created a design that has an open stage at one end for concerts and a covered farmers market area at the other, providing for an incredibly adaptive and flexible site for any variety of community events. The space also features a splash pad, fire pit, playground, water feature and native plant landscaping.

Local licensee, Bomanite of Tulsa, Inc. had the pleasure of installing the natural looking Bomanite Decorative Concrete starting with the water feature that stretches the length of the park along with a splash pad that emulates a riverbed of rock using a custom Bomanite Imprint System Pattern Chipped Shale along with Bomanite Cobblestone Gray color for a stylized running stream. Accent borders were placed in the pavilion area using the Bomacron Sandstone Texture in the same Cobblestone Gray color to delineate features of the paved area and support the overall design aesthetic of the park as well as provide containment for an area of white, light gray and dark gray concrete pavers.

With well over 400 distinct patterns and associated textures Bomanite has a commanding selection of imprinting tools to select from with the ability to customize your own design like that of the Owasso Redbud Festival Park landscape elements. Bomanite molds are developed from natural products such as stone or wood as well as unconventional surfaces such as metal or plastic or whatever your imagination may bring to the table. Images, logos, borders and highly custom textures are all part of the Bomanite offering. The selection and quality of Bomanite Imprinting Tools is unsurpassed in the industry as well as the quality of people that do the installations.

Superior craftsmanship has always defined the Bomanite brand and sets a Bomanite installation apart from other imprinting contractors and product manufacturers. All Bomanite Licensees receive the most extensive ongoing technical education program in the industry. And it shows in every installation as a reflection of the long standing Bomanite tradition of innovation, service and expertise. The Owasso Redbud Festival Park was a game-changer for not only the Redbud District, but for the city as a whole, bringing opportunities for the community to come together for movie nights, concerts and holiday celebrations, to name a few, where everyone can make wonderful, long-lasting memories.

Bomanite of Tulsa, Inc. received the 2019 Honorable Mention Bomanite Best Imprint Project Award for their custom and creative work for this community project.

Westchester CC Beach Club

The Westchester Country Club is an exclusive family-oriented Club located in Rye, New York which is a short distance from Manhattan. The Westchester Country Club has been ranked 12th of 4,000 private Clubs in the United States and maintains its status as a “Platinum Club.” Among the amenities is the 62-acre Beach Club with a notable aquatics area. The Beach Club also features five separate food and beverage facilities. The Main Bar is centrally located and the hub of social activity at the Beach.

Bomanite Licensee, Beyond Concrete located out of Keyport, NJ worked with the GC and Architect Kenneth R. Nadler, Consulting LLC to provide a product to withstand the exterior elements of the weather. After reviewing several architectural concrete samples of different Bomanite systems and products, the Bomanite Revealed Exposed Aggregate System was chosen for its excellence in durability and ability to withstand freezing temperatures, sea salt, sand, pouring rain and plenty of sunshine.

Beyond Concrete poured and placed approximately 11,200 square feet of walkways, main dining areas and patios for the Beach Club area with some weather and construction challenges. The job started in freezing weather, only to be set back by almost 3 to 4 weeks of constant rain. The wind was blowing off the water from the Long Island Sound throughout the entire installation. The weather changed so drastically that some of the pour days ended up being over 90 degrees. Beyond Concrete also had to custom form the job due to an existing structural slab condition that varied from as little as 2 inches to upwards of 9 inches. The Bomanite Revealed Exposed Aggregate slab had to be boom pumped over the roof of the building with the longest pump available not even reaching the areas to be poured. The concrete was pumped into wheel barrows and then poured in place.

After all the difficult and challenging working conditions, the installation came out extremely well. The owners of the country club were ecstatic with the design of the two tone highly durable finish. The field was poured with the Bomanite Revealed in Coquina color and the Borders used the Bomanite Revealed in Sand color. A custom mix of stone and glass aggregates were chosen providing a cohesive and complimentary decorative concrete element to the outdoor club establishment.

Bomanite Revealed is designed for outdoor applications where a highly decorative concrete surface is desired, a great option and final installation for the Westchester Beach Club. Bomanite Revealed is a durable monolithic topping system composed of a unique blend of cements, admixtures, recycled pozzolans, pigment and graded mineral aggregates that uses traditional concrete and advanced application technology. Bomanite Revealed combines the durability of concrete with color and pronounced decorative aggregate, producing a monolithic concrete slab with a beneficial low life cycle cost. Applications include pool decks, splash pads, plazas, shopping centers, schools and exterior walkways—anywhere improved wear resistance for light- to moderate-duty traffic with highly decorative appearance and durability is required. These highly durable surfaces are available in a multitude of standard and custom options, including light-reflective formulations that reduce heat island effect, hard to achieve colors for concrete, water resistant formulations for wet areas and other specialty applications, providing a Bomanite Decorative Concrete Platinum System for a Platinum Club.

Awards: 2015 Best Bomanite Exposed Aggregate Project Gold Award

Tandy Family YMCA

The Tandy Family YMCA opened in 2016 with more than 100,000 square feet dedicated to the pursuit of healthy living and community building; this state-of-the-art facility is built on the grounds of the 50-year old Thornton Family YMCA, one of the anchors of midtown Tulsa.

In collaboration with OU Physicians Center for Exercise and Sports Medicine, and OU Physical Therapy, the Tandy Family YMCA features three brand-new pools, new interactive fitness equipment, an all-seasons Splash Park and playground, with a focus on prevention and education.

Bomanite Licensee, Bomanite of Tulsa worked with GH2 Architects to choose the Bomanite Exposed Aggregate System  for the exterior multi-use space. With the emphasis on ADA compliance and universal design, both Bomanite Revealed and Bomanite Sandscape Texture were incorporated. Bomanite Revealed was chosen for its ability to provide vibrant color, a Custom glass blend was created to compliment and unify the safety surfaces around the play areas. Bomanite Sandscape Texture in Gobi Desert was installed to provide for a more natural feel, its slip resistant/traction coefficient, appearance and longevity.

Heights Recreation Center

The City of Richardson recently opened the doors of the brand new, state-of-the-art Heights Recreation Center. The 25,000 square foot facility boasts a regulation-sized basketball court, a game room, large fitness and cardio areas with brand new equipment, a large classroom space, a preschool room, an aerobics studio and WiFi Internet access throughout.

Bomanite Licensee, Texas Bomanite was called in to polish 2,500 SF of lobby and corridors. They installed a 2” integrally colored topping slab in a brown color. The scoring of the topping was done in accordance to the Architect’s (Brinkley Sargent Architects) design, which is seeking a LEED Silver Certification for the project. The floors were diamond polished to a 1,500 grit finish and Malt Brown Bomanite Concrete Dye was added during the polishing process to deepen the intensity of the color.

Bomanite Stabilizer Pro and Bomanite VitraFinish were installed to give the floor a complete Bomanite Custom Polishing treatment. A polyurea joint sealant was installed as well. The final step in the scope of work was floor protection and a final burnish was completed before the early summer opening.

East Phillips Community Center

East Phillips Community Center was a new project. The architect choose polished concrete for the ease of maintenance, savings cost and sustainability. Mark Kalar, LHB Architects, wanted a polishing company that was known for there decorative work because of the amount of design scoring and complexity of layouts and colors the project entails. Bomanite Polishing Licensee, Concrete Arts was choosen.

The Patene Teres Bomanite Custom Polishing System incorporated several Concrete Dye Colors; Black Orchid, Pineapple, Pomegranate and Warm Honey. Two finishing products were used as well; Bomanite Stabilizer used to harden and densify the concrete and Bomanite Stainguard to provide a protective finish.

The challenges that went along with this project were the layout, design score, separation of all the eclectic colors, color combination and choices and the placement of a metal medallion that needed to be in the center of the room. Concrete Arts provided them with clean lines, no cracking even amongst all the cuts that came together, solid colors with variations that were used to give more of a stained patina look rather than a solid monolithic look.

Centennial Center Park

The 11-acre, award winning, Centennial Center Park provides a variety of features and amenities for the community’s use. Designed for year-round family-friendly enjoyment, Centennial Center Park includes a large, covered shelter with gas fireplace and a smaller, more intimate coffee shelter for smaller gatherings.

Children of all ages will find hours of fun on one of three climbing walls, two expansive, age-appropriate play areas and the Nautilus water play area in the center of the Park. Ideally situated on a slight bluff adjacent to Centennial Civic Center, Centennial Center Park also features “butte” and “meadow” nature areas, three decorative water fountains and a two-story covered shelter to overlook the plaza or enjoy a spectacular Centennial sunset.

The Park’s unique design is intended to convey the passage of time, this concept is articulated through the integration of arches, spirals and curves into the park’s structures and many unique features. The Nautilus shape formed by the central playground complex is a prominent example of this theme.

The Park features various historical and educational elements as well. The main plaza showcases the historical timeline of the Cherry Creek Basin, including fun facts and a map of the Cherry Creek Watershed. The amphitheater’s design incorporates elements that represent the four periods of human history: Lithic, Archaic, Formative, and Classic. The “Colorado Statehood Walk” displays interesting facts about Colorado, while the “Viewfinder Walk” is an interactive trivia challenge that takes visitors on a quest throughout the Park– highlighting unique points of interests both inside and outside of the Park. Not just a place to play, but also a place to learn, Centennial Center Park is a treasure-trove of history and trivia.

The Summit At Central Park

In June of 2010, the city of Grand Prairie opened the doors of The Summit at Central Park, a state-of-the-art recreation center for active seniors. The facility boasts an extensive athletic center including an aquatic center with lap and infinity-edged pools, hot tubs and saunas, luxurious dining areas, ballrooms, game rooms, a pottery center, teaching kitchen, 88-seat movie theater, and on-site lakes and green space.

The entire facility is over 56,000 square feet and Texas Bomanite was called in by Manhattan Construction to create over 11,920 square feet of custom flooring designed by Brinkley Sargent Architects. The Bomanite Custom Polishing System, Renaissance, was chosen. A 2” integrally colored topping, was installed over a waterproof membrane, which was polished to the desired grit level, depending on the location (lobby & corridors or pool deck). 4,000 Linear Feet of joint filler finished these areas out. For more information about the Summit, visit the City of Grand Prairie’s Parks and Recreation website at www.grandfungp.com/thesummit.

Idyllwilde Recreation Center

Client Need:
The designer wanted to create the look of an old time watering hole for this community center building.

Solution:
Bomanite Licensee, Colorado Hardscapes integrated Sandscape Texture with Bomanite imprinted concrete and specially created artificial rocks. A detail the designer wanted to see in this project was a random edge on the Bomanite Imprinted Concrete areas. Our crews, after pouring and stamping a section of Bomanite would pull off the form and cut back the concrete to match the pattern line of the Small Random Slate pattern.

Results:
The jagged edge between the Bomanite and Sandscape Texture was just the look that was desired. The pool coping was also formed and stamped with a meandering front edge to give the look of an old waterhole. All the Bomanite was stained with Seal Brown Patène Artectura® which added to the old, weathered look the designer was trying to achieve. A Bomanite patio and picnic area were also installed to match the pool deck.