At Rockwerx, our goal is to provide superior quality products to meet the specific needs of our clients. Our Custom Climbing Wall System (Geodesic Design) is the premier wall in the industry. If you want more flexible route setting options, unmatched durability and a great looking, superior and multiple climbing surfaces on your wall, our custom wall system is what you’re looking for. We like to say that if you can imagine it, we can build it. Each project is custom designed in cooperation with each client.
So what is Geodesic design? Geodesic describes the geometry of curved surfaces, and what makes our walls different than most is that though we start with geometric shapes, our mesh seaming and texture process creates a more fluid, unified look and feel. Once a design is finalized, geometrically shaped steel panels are fabricated and installed much like a 3D jigsaw puzzle. These sections are placed on a superstructure independently engineered for each project. Each section connects to unify the total design. Simple triangles, rectangles, and trapezoidal shapes are transformed into dramatic arches, caves, arêtes, dihedrals, spires, cracks and stalactites. Rather than create a more formulaic paneled look, our substantive concrete texture forms more rounded edges and an aesthetically seamless design.
To go a step further than a custom look, we offer our customers a custom feel by being the only manufacturer to put a concrete rock like (GYM ROCK) texture next to an “aggregate based texture” (GYM ROCK LITE) next to each other on the same wall. This allows for limitless route setting options and a more diverse climbing environment.
GYM ROCK LITE (WOOD) TEXTURE
The Gym Rock Lite texture is the strongest performing aggregate based texture on the market. We use a proprietary blend of aggregate, epoxy, and paint to ensure that each panel will outperform and outlast its competition. The finish offers great texture and friction and is guaranteed to maintain extreme durability and is very simple to clean. Just wet a rag and a little elbow grease can clean the majority of the wall in just a few swipes.
Just like every major climbing wall manufacturer these days, we offer a scuff resistant coating. What sets Gym Rock Lite apart is its ability to resist shadowing. Shadowing is a new term that describes the residual black shadow-like marking that can be seen surrounding the climbing holds after a fairly short amount of time.
We reinforce our outside corners by rounding our edges and coating them with an epoxy. Most plywood walls will begin to chip and delaminate at an outside corner that is why it is essential to reinforce the corners; like we do. These walls can also accommodate many climbing holds and volumes for lots of options to place and change the climbing routes.
Just like our Gym Rock texture, Gym Rock Lite is available for Top Rope, Lead, and Bouldering walls. Gym Rock Lite is also the coating for our GYM ROCK LITE modular panels!
GYM ROCK (CONCRETE) TEXTURE
Our Gym Rock texture really sets us apart. The texture itself is a two-part application of a concrete-like product composed of blended polymers and cementitious products. This texture is specifically engineered for our climbing walls, and is designed to be quite flexible while appearing and feeling very rigid. Despite our ‘beefed-up’ building practices, all walls experience some degree of settling or flex as strains and time take their toll. Our texture can actually move with the structure, eliminating structural cracking and chipping that is common as a result of flex.
We attach our texture both mechanically, by using wire lathe, and chemically, through bonding. Many companies rely on chemical attachment alone. Obviously, more attachment means less chipping and cracking. Our plywood sub wall is coated with a vapor barrier to allow for expansion and contraction in the plywood.
During the application of the second coat, the texture is stamped with micro-features molded from actual rock, and closely resembles flat granite. It is thicker than most surface textures, allowing us to round out edges for a more natural looking seamless construction. The surface looks great, and climbs even better. It is perfect for edging and smearing, can be molded into holds in tricky placement areas, like the outside edges of arêtes and the inside corners of dihedrals, and provides positive, realistic feeling for jamming in cracks.
Gym Rock is available for Tope Rope, Lead, Bouldering Walls, Indoors and Out! The same technology lends itself to our Sculpted Gym Rock Modular Panels.
THE TECHNICAL ADVANTAGES
At the base of all our Custom Climbing Walls is a free-standing and self-supporting steel frame. Constructed of custom engineered square tube and angle steel, our unique steel framing system allows your wall to take on nearly any shape, at any angle, at any height. Not only is our framework custom designed for your installation, our walls have more steel framing than a lot of other contractors. Our geometric panels are welded together every two feet, compared to every four feet or not at all on some other manufacturer’s walls. This inter-bracing strengthens the overall structure, and adds to the rock-solid feel of the wall. Walls with less inter-bracing are more prone to flexing, which results in cracking or chipping of the surface texture and a ‘hollow’ feel to the walls.
Another material we use to increase strength and durability is our plywood. Unlike a lot of other manufacturers who use OSB or ‘particle board’ in their walls, we use high quality structural grade ¾ inch CDX, FSC plywood. This higher-end material is much less flexible than OSB, which also adds to the realistic feel of the wall.
If you are new to the climbing industry, a common issue is a lot of gyms have is with their T-Nuts. A T-Nut is attached to the back of the wall and is what the climbing hold is bolted to. Normal T-Nuts strip out of the plywood over time resulting in holds that are unable to mount. This requires someone to climb into the inside of the wall to replace them. We solved this problem by designing a custom t-nut. Unlike other companies that hammer their t-nuts into the wood, we hydraulically press and screw our t-nuts into the wood which stops any chance of them stripping out. As builders of the finest commercial climbing gyms in the world, we understand the importance that t-nuts play over the lifespan of a climbing wall. A climbing wall with failed t-nuts becomes limited and eventually useless. Poor quality t-nuts make route-setting a chore. This is why we designed out own T-Nut called the X-Nut seen below. It is over engineered to provide an unmatched lifetime and secure hold between the X-Nut, the wall, and the hold.
CONCEPT TO DESIGN
The process begins with a 3D CAD model. Once final modifications and features of the design model have been completed and approved by you, the internal structure is designed and engineered. Reaction loads are calculated and footings are designed. Once the superstructure is finalized, everything is sent to the Rockwerx shop to be prefabricated before it is shipped to site.
STEEL FRAMING
The entire climbing wall framework and surface paneling will be manufactured using welded steel. Surface panels will be prefabricated using 2” angle material. The structural framework of the climbing wall will consist of welded Hollow Structural Section.
The entire climbing wall framework and surface paneling will be manufactured using welded steel. Surface panels will be prefabricated using 2” angle material. The structural framework of the climbing wall will consist of welded Hollow Structural Section.
CONSTRUCTION
The steel superstructure will be prefabricated in the Rockwerx facility and shipped to the job-site upon completion. Large base plates welded to vertical posts begin the structure. Horizontal and diagonal welded steel braces are added as per blueprints. All work will be completed by the Rockwerx road-crew, who are experienced in field installations using our own welding equipment. Once the superstructure is complete, the steel panels that make up the wall itself are installed. These panels are welded together every two feet, and welded back to the superstructure every six feet or less. Next comes the plywood, which is attached to the steel panels using power actuated tools. Finally the lathe and texture are applied and painted. Belay anchors and other climbing wall hardware components are installed after the wall surface is completed. Installation of the modular hand and foot holds are the last to install.
5 YEAR WARRANTY
We believe in the durability, wearability, and integrity of our custom climbing walls and stand behind it with a 5-year warranty.
