The Hogback Parking Facility near Golden, Colorado provides four large parking lots for foothills-area residents commuting to metro Denver and for skiers and hikers taking advantage of the Rocky Mountains.

Known locally as a ‘park and ride,’ the adjacent parking areas serve as a gateway in and out of the mountains. The massive complex sits off another engineering marvel, Interstate 70, which cuts through a series of ridges that form a line on the eastern borders of the Rocky Mountains.

“Although the primary purpose for the retaining wall is that of a support structure, we had high standards for its aesthetics,” Herbaugh said. “The parking area is an important piece of the community and a gateway into the mountains.”

The design phase was led by Denver engineering firm J.F. Sato and Associates and it was a collaboration between many, but none as important as the teamwork of the engineer and architect. The design featured the Pavestone Company’s Diamond Pro Stone Cut product using 7-inch, 11-inch and 18-inch wide units to best mimic and compliment area rock outcroppings. The colors, light buff and dark buff, along with terra cotta and dark terra cotta, were chosen to reflect the views of the Great Plains to the east of the area.

The design phase gave way to even greater construction complexities. “The primary challenge during construction was to work around a very busy exit off Interstate 70,” said Herbaugh, who notes that neither the highway nor the exit were ever closed during construction. “And in addition to the site challenges, we dictated an installation pattern for the four colors to create the desired design.”

HTM Construction Company of Lakewood, Colorado built the retaining wall and its seasoned project manager, Wes Lundeby, has seen a lot of challenging installations. “Following the architect’s plan for the color undulation was a first,” Lundeby said.

“But the result is spectacular.” Did having to piece together blocks in different colors hurt efficiency? Lundeby says, “No. In fact, the wall installation stayed on schedule and contributed to the entire parking facility opening nearly 6 months ahead of schedule and in time for the upcoming ski season.

“The product is a system designed for efficient wall construction, and this wall went up well. We worked closely with manufacturer and the architect on the colors and the pattern,” said Lundeby who notes that he prefers segmental retaining wall units. Cut over cast-in-place because, he says, “the segmental systems are more landscape and design focused.”

Martin Herbaugh agrees with Lundeby aesthetic assessment, “Awesome,” Herbaugh notes succinctly.

“Retaining walls used to be the color gray, whether it was in a backyard or supporting a commercial building,” Tom Schnetzler notes. “Today, that’s changed and you won’t find many gray walls. All of our customers, especially in the commercial market, demand multiple colors in the wall and textures that are rough-hewn and natural looking.”

A popular trend in Colorado is the use of natural stone incorporated into the wall as an accessory feature. And, national sales data supports Schnetzler’s assessment. The product used on the Hogback project is manufactured in three sizes and multiple colors and although it’s an engineered product, it’s commonly found on high-profile projects where aesthetics count, including a land bridge in historic Williamsburg, Virginia; a high-end 1,600 unit residential development in Washington, DC; in detention ponds situated on a beautiful college campus in Florida; as well as high-end retail developments in nearly all 50 states.

The Hogback Parking Facility is a name that often receives a funny look by visitors. But to native Coloradoans, the Hogback is a beloved geological term. So, what is a Hogback? Hogbacks are sharp-crested ridges with steep slopes on both sides, formed by the eroded flanks of large, stratified rocks. In Colorado, the Dakota Hogback ridge is prominently visible as the first line of foothills along the edge of the Great Plains. The clever name comes from the rock ridges resembling the ridge between the shoulders of a hog.