Red Rocks Unique Concrete Formwork

At 6,450 feet above sea level, Red Rocks is a unique venue situated at the transition of the Great Plains and the Rocky Mountains. The diversity of its location provides an acoustically perfect amphitheater that is carved out of the side of a mountain.

Over the years Red Rocks has been updated multiple times. According to Red Rocks website, Red Rocks was first developed in the early 1900s and quickly became one of Colorado's most spectacular settings. The Red Rocks Visitors Center and Hall of Fame opened in 2003. The iconic open-air venue recently kickstarted a renovation project on its stage, which has hosted a myriad of legendary musicians.

With an opening date set in April 2021, the contractor, GH Phipps has partnered with Universal Forest Products (UFP) to develop the unique forming solution for the fabrication of the large "Y" shaped structural columns with steel inserts to hold up the new and improved iconic roof.

In an orchestrated effort between UFP and Scott System, we developed a solution for the unique architectural concrete column that provides structural functionality. Scott System was contracted to develop 3D models and deploy its proprietary 3D fabrication techniques to develop the CNC milled and coated foam formwork. UFP designed and developed the shoring system to house Scott System's foam formwork that also integrated the platform for the concrete subcontractors to work on.

The process of developing the foam formwork was inspired by another project Little Island that Scott System constructed utilizing 3D milled and coated formwork. The entire process was developed from a 3D model generated by Scott System's design team. After model generation, the 5 axis CNC machines are programmed to cut the unique shapes required, a subtractive manufacturing method.

With the control joint located at 12' above the base, Scott System split the formwork into (4) components that include two sections for the base and two sections for the "Y" column topper. Once the components have been milled and quality checked, the proprietary coatings are applied to the surface of the formwork. The coatings offer durability and efficacy to the formwork. In most instances, the formwork can be reused multiple times.

The base molds were flown into position utilizing an overhead crane. After the formwork was located, UFP's Shoring Solution encapsulated the formwork. The base molds were cast first, and the "Y" toppers were cast second. The base mold formwork was stripped prior to casting the concrete "Y" toppers.