Scott System
Case Study
Custom Bench Formwork for Ballantyne Reimagined
Project
Overview
Ballantyne Reimagined is one of Charlotte’s most ambitious mixed-use redevelopments: 90,500 square feet of retail and restaurant space, 700 multifamily units, a six-acre stream park, a 3,500-square-foot amphitheater, and expansive parks and open spaces all woven into a connected, walkable campus. The public realm is central to the project’s identity, and the site furnishings within it had to match that ambition.
Scott System partnered with A&D Precast to engineer and fabricate the custom formwork behind the development’s sculptural concrete benches. Installed throughout the campus, these benches function as both seating and architectural elements, reinforcing the character of the spaces they inhabit.
The Challenges
Sculptural concrete benches are demanding precast applications. Flowing geometry requires tight tolerances; dimensional inconsistencies in formwork create visible flaws in the finished surface.
The project faced two primary challenges:
- Dimensional Control: Multi-piece assemblies required precise alignment and complex geometries that only 5-axis CNC machining could reliably deliver at scale.
- Surface Consistency: Flowing curves demand uniform finishes. A durable coating was essential to protect the geometry during handling and ensure repeatable results across every pour.
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The Vision
The benches were conceived as functional sculpture; seating elements that complement the surrounding landscape and public spaces throughout the Ballantyne campus rather than standing apart from them.
The forms are durable enough for high-traffic use in a busy mixed-use environment while reinforcing the overall aesthetic of a development built around connection, community, and quality of place. Abstract, flowing curves create a monolithic appearance in the finished concrete. This design intent required precision engineering from the start to ensure the forms translated accurately from drawing to installation.
Proposed Solution
Scott System worked closely with A&D Precast to translate the bench designs into precision-engineered formwork, producing both negative and positive forms to support the precast manufacturing process:
- EPS Foam Formwork: Scott System used CNC-cut EPS foam for both negative and positive forms, ensuring accurate, repeatable custom shapes. Machinability allowed complex geometries to be produced as single components, which preserved surface continuity and reduced assembly complexity.
- Hard Shell Polycoat: This durable casting face coating protected forms during handling and enabled positive forms to pull multiple rubber molds without degradation, saving A&D Precast labor and accelerating delivery.
- 5-Axis CNC Precision: Required for the complex, compound curves, 5-axis machining ensured dimensional accuracy and produced the smooth transitions needed across all multi-piece assemblies.
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Components for Success
- Turnkey Scope: Integrating Hard Shell Polycoat converted individual components into production-ready forms, saving A&D Precast significant in-house labor and providing a seamless, single-source solution.
- Repeatability: Durable coated positive forms allowed for multiple mold pulls without degradation, ensuring consistent quality throughout the production run.
- Efficiency: Detailed engineering drawings and rapid file turnarounds supported short lead times, allowing A&D Precast to meet strict project deadlines without rework.
- Geometric Accuracy: 5-axis CNC fabrication ensured perfect fit and alignment, eliminating the dimensional issues common with manual forming methods.
Products Used
Custom CNC-Cut EPS Foam Formwork: Negative and positive forms, 5-axis milled for complex bench geometry
Hard Shell Polycoat: Durable casting face coating enabling repeated mold pulls without rework
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The Outcome
The completed benches are installed throughout the Ballantyne Reimagined campus, contributing to a public realm that reflects the development’s scale and quality of design. The forms delivered what the geometry required: tight tolerances, surface consistency, and repeatable results across every assembly.The true test of a formwork partner for precast manufacturers handling intricate, bespoke designs is whether their approach simplifies the workflow or complicates it. Scott System’s Hard Shell Polycoat technology and EPS foam formwork provide a seamless fit for such demanding processes.
“Our experience working with Scott System was excellent, and their work was integral to the success of our project. They provided multiple options to help us determine the best way to meet our needs. Once we selected a path forward, they were able to deliver the product with short lead times, allowing us to meet our customers’ requirements. The product delivered was of outstanding quality, with no issues across any of the components. Initially, we only planned to order foam shapes, as we were unfamiliar with their poly coating capabilities. Adding that service saved us hours of in-house labor and significantly accelerated our path to the final product. We explored other methods before working with Scott System, but none provided a complete solution. Their ability to produce large, intricate components and deliver them as single, hard-coated pieces offered a simple, turnkey solution that integrated seamlessly into our process and enabled us to meet our deadlines.”
– David Gilbert, A&D Precast