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Green Permeable Pavement Solutions. 2007 NCMA Design Award Of Excellence: Concrete Pavers
GreenForge Office Building: Greensburg, PA

The original GreenForge building, constructed in the mid ‘80s, was a warehouse and office space. The original site had quite a few challenges, including minimal parking, a sprawling paved loading-dock area, and no stormwater management system, according to Kathryn Hamilton, RLA, technical stormwater assistant at the Westmoreland Conservation District, primary designers and owners of the project. In 2004, the Westmoreland County Industrial Development Corporation purchased the original GreenForge property to convert the existing building into new office space. The neighboring site was also purchased and used for parking for the new office. One of the goals of the renovation was to promote and offer a living example of sustainable site development techniques.

To accomplish this, the design of the new GreenForge building utilizes several green features. A geothermal system was installed for heating and cooling. Electric power to the building is supplemented by a 3.6 kilowatt solar array. Many recycled materials were used to renovate the interior spaces to create several office suites from the original warehouse space.

Several different types of concrete masonry products were used to limit impacts to the site including: minimizing earthwork, protecting existing specimen trees, reducing erosion, and controlling stormwater runoff. “Concrete masonry products are very cost effective for what they do. Certainly you can find cheaper materials, but none as permanent. The products we used have a good appearance and look to them. With concrete masonry you know, these are going to last,” says Ms. Hamilton.

“We wanted to limit the environmental impact of the new construction on this site,” says Ms. Hamilton. In order to save the mature maple, oak and dawn redwood trees, which are rooted right behind the area where part of the new parking area is built, the architectural design called to build a unique vertical segmental retaining wall out of concrete masonry units to hold the earth behind the parking area. Normally segmental retaining walls (SRW) require quite a bit of excavation back into the existing earth. “An excavation for this type of wall typically needs to reach as far back into the hillside as the wall is high,” says Ms. Hamilton. Since this segmental retaining wall is 8 feet (2.4 m) high, the excavation would need to go back at least 8 feet (2.4 m) into the hillside, which would disturb the root structure of the existing trees. “To protect the existing trees by eliminating the need for over-excavating the area, we only excavated 2 feet (0.6m) back, then drilled galvanized steel anchor rods back into the subgrade, beneath these trees we were protecting, and tied the anchors into the face of the wall with a geogrid fabric,” comments Ms. Hamilton.

The 8 foot (2.4 m) high vertical retaining wall extends toward the back of the parking area where a sloping 8 foot (2.4 m) high retaining wall begins and extends through the length of the remainder of the parking area. This sloping segmental retaining wall is built with plantable SRWs. These types of walls have pockets in every unit that can be planted to create a retaining wall that is completely covered with native vegetation. In addition, these retaining walls can be constructed at an angle, thereby allowing them to look more like a natural slope when the vegetation covers the entire wall. “Your can make this type of plantable SRW wall as steep as you want. You can set the units at almost any steepness from 70 percent back to about 30 percent,” says Ms. Hamilton. Once the landscaping matures, this type of wall will be masked by vegetation, which gives it a softer appearance than a hardscape wall surface. Stormwater management is extremely important in this project because this site receives quite a bit of annual rainfall. “Over the years, all the water runoff created degradation down in the park below,” says Ms. Hamilton who comments that now “half of the roof of the GreenForge office building is made with a greenroof. “A bioinfiltration swell takes the other half of the water,” Ms. Hamilton says.

To further improve the storm water management on the site, some of the new parking area was paved with 4 inch (0.1 m) by 8 inch (0.2 m), permeable concrete pavers in a concrete lattice design. These were used as a green alternative to using concrete or asphalt. When rain falls on the permeable pavers, the water will run right through it and into the ground, instead of just running off of the surface, like concrete or asphalt,” notes Ms. Hamilton. “It also means that ice is less likely to form because much of the snow melt will travel through the permeable pavers, rather than lying on top of it where it can freeze. When water infiltrates into the ground, it helps to replenish the groundwater, which many people with wells rely on for their water supply,” Ms. Hamilton explained.

This permeable paver product can be placed with an open running bond, an open basket weave, or expanded basket weave so that you can actually create varying percentages of water filtration,” says Ms. Hamilton. “We chose a 9 percent opening so women with high heels wouldn’t have trouble walking on the paver.” Another reason this hardscape product is perfect for the environmentally sensitive GreenForge project is because the product is made with approximately 55 percent recycled materials, including highway concrete, crushed and screened. The conservation district asked the manufacturer to color the product with a red, brick-like hue called environoxide, which is harvested from acid drainage from local mines. “With the new infiltration pavers we used, we were able to cut down the amount of water runoff we had on the site,” say Ms. Hamilton.

One role of the conservation district is to educate engineers, contractors, site inspectors, and municipal officials on erosion control and stormwater management rules. “This site is important to the Conservation District,” comments Ms. Hamilton, “because it is a live demonstration of low-impact development for erosion control and for stormwater management.”

Owner/Developer:
Westmoreland Conservation District,
Greensburg, PA 		Architect:
Westmoreland Conservation District,
Greensburg, PA 		Associate Architect:
Glance & Associates, Inc.,
Pittsburgh, PA
Engineer:
James W. Pillsbury, P.E.,
Greensburg, PA 		Paver Contractor:
Country Farms,
Greensburg, PA 		Paver Producer/Supplier:
R.I. Lampus Company,
Springdale, PA

- Concrete Masonry Designs February 2008 -         BACK TO TOP

 

The compass provides site orientation. 2007 ICPI Decorative And Durable Concrete Pavement Design Contest
Site-Sensitive Designs Win Awards:

The 2007 North American Decorative and Durable Concrete Pavement Design contest winners feature designs that better connect users to the site and sensitize them to what’s there. Winning concrete paver and paving slabs projects hail from Florida, Georgia, California, Virginia, Illinois and Manitoba. Most winning projects involve ICPI producers and/or contractors.

The judging criteria included integration of color, texture, patterns with the larger site and architecture. Other considerations included craftsmanship, ecological conservation, historic preservation and the project’s contribution to local economic and/or cultural development. Winning ICPI producer and contractor members are marked with an asterisk (*).

Editor’s Choice: Sippel Residence: Sewickley, PA

Paver Directions
This 14,000 sf (1,400 m2) driveway of a construction company owner provides a favorable impression to clients that visit his home office. A 15 in. (375 mm) thick compacted aggregate base supports light trucks common to construction company offices. The compass in the rear driveway provides a conversation piece for the clients and a focal point viewed from the deck and rear windows. The Editor chose it because one of the fundamentals of becoming sensitive to a site is affirming compass directions. Compasses in concrete pavers have been typically placed in commercial projects. It’s refreshing to see this carefully constructed paver graphic at someone’s home used for site orientation.

Paver Contractor:
Precision Paving
Pittsburgh, PA 		  Paver Supplier:
R.I. Lampus Company*
Springdale, PA

- Interlocking Concrete Pavement Magazine February 2008 -         BACK TO TOP

 

A compact fluorescent light bulb Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: The Cream Of The Green
By Kevin Kirkland

Everyone is keen on "green," meaning environmentally friendly, energy-efficient and just plain kind to the Earth. Though green materials and products are generally more expensive up front than their counterparts, they often use less energy and save money in the long run. Even if they don't, you can rest easier knowing you're doing your part for the environment.

Here are our top 10 green products used in home building and remodeling, starting with the least expensive:

1: Compact fluorescent lights use about one-quarter the electricity of incandescents and last five times longer. The knock on them used to be higher prices and that cold glow. Prices have come down and the light quality is closer to sunlight. But we still prefer the warm yellow glow of incandescents in living and dining rooms.

2: Low- or no-VOC paints are latex-based and have fewer volatile organic compounds, which compromise indoor air quality and contribute to smog in the atmosphere. Your nose will notice the difference immediately indoors. Some painters gripe that low-VOC isn't as durable, especially outdoors. Then again, they said the same thing about latex vs. oil-based paint. The new formulas are better inside and out.

3: Storm windows or high-performance wood replacement windows. Don't be so quick to tear out your old windows! An old house's original windows almost always look better than replacements and new tight-fitting storms will cut drafts and save on energy bills. If you really need to replace them, thermal wood windows generally require less energy and create less pollution during manufacture than vinyl, fiberglass or aluminum. Also, low-e coatings and gas between the double or triple panes saves even more money on your energy bill.

4: Energy Star appliances. If you've bought an air conditioner, washing machine, refrigerator or computer over the past five years, you've probably noticed the EPA's Energy Star logo and a yellow sticker showing how much it costs to operate. Likewise, low-flow or dual-flush toilets use less water than the original throne, and, if you have lots of boys, waterless urinals are the stingiest of all.

5: Rain barrels, porous pavement and living roofs. Rain barrels keep rainwater out of the storm sewer and put it to use in the garden. The other two go them one better, watering lawns and landscapes where nothing used to grow. Geoblocks and Grassy Pavers are two types of plastic grids that can support both cars and grass. Locally, R.I. Lampus Co. makes Eco-Tek, a concrete paver with gaps to let water drain through. Living roofs naturally insulate and use rainwater to support low-maintenance plants.

6: Architectural antiques such as doors, fireplace mantels and other old house parts not only add character but are generally better made and cheaper than new ones. Reusing or finding a new purpose for building materials keeps them out of the landfills and always costs less than making new stuff. Construction Junction in Point Breeze has lots of neat old parts plus surplus paint, tiles and other items.

7: Bamboo, cork and real linoleum flooring are darlings underfoot because they're sustainable and give off less pollution during and after manufacture. Bamboo is a renewable grass that matures in about five years, cork is harvested without killing the tree and true linoleum is made from linseed oil and other natural materials. The downside is that they all cost more than vinyl. Also, bamboo and cork are imported, and fossil-fuel transportation pollutes.

8: Radiant floor heat, tankless water heaters and passive heating. Radiant floors warm a room from the bottom up with hot water or, in small spaces, electrical wiring. The cost-saver is that if your feet are warm, you might turn down the thermostat a few degrees. Tankless units save money by heating water as you use it rather than storing it. And passive heating can be as easy as leaving the curtains open on a bright winter day, letting the sun warm your home free. (Don't forget to close them at night).

9: Icynene insulation and weatherizing. Adding insulation of any kind and sealing up gaps around windows, doors and the foundation will make any home more comfortable and save on heating and air conditioning costs. Although icynene is usually more expensive than fiberglass, cellulose and other types of insulation, it's a water-based foam that fills spaces better than batts or loose material, without any airborne pollutants.

10: Metal or recycled rubber roofing and fiber cement siding. Asphalt shingles and vinyl siding are most homeowners' choices because they're cheap and fairly durable. But metal and recycled rubber roofs last longer, create fewer toxins during manufacture and can be recycled. Fiber cement siding by James Hardie and others comes in almost as many colors as vinyl and is more durable than wood. If you paint, it holds paint better than both of the alternatives. Of course, it also costs more than wood or vinyl. But if you're planning to stay in your house for a while, you and the Earth will be better off.

- Pittsburgh Post-Gazette January 5, 2008 -         BACK TO TOP

 

Preservation of historical beauty R.I. Lampus Company Paving Stones Used To Preserve Historical Beauty:

Meadville, PA – The City of Meadville is proud of its historical heritage, so when the city was faced with some important renovations, it was imperative that it partnered with a company that held similar values. R.I. Lampus Company, an environmental solutions company that opened in 1924, provided Meadville with products that worked with Meadville’s needs and preservation goals.

Home to the oldest farmer’s market in Pennsylvania, Meadville has been renovating the market in an ongoing project. Built in the late 1800s, they were looking to expand the selling space on the outside of the building and to create an area where outdoor performances could take place.

Using R.I. Lampus Company’s Oxford paving stones near the Farmer’s Market was an ideal fit for the desired appearance. Oxford paving stones have gently rounded corners and edges for a cobbled look. Further visual appeal comes from the two shapes of Oxford concrete pavers, square and rectangle, that mix together for subtle patterns that offer a refined, classical look complimenting the historic architecture. The assortment of fade-resistant, naturalistic colors blended together gave the project the historic appearance.

“The paving stones were easy to work with and provided us with the design pattern needed to fit our project. Once the pattern was established, we simply followed the installation guide,” says Joseph Chriest, City Manager and City Engineer for the City of Meadville.

R.I. Lampus Company also provided Meadville with their Holland pavers for road repair projects. In Meadville, there is a total of 51 miles of roads, and of that total, about 9 miles of roads are constructed with clay-fired bricks which are unable to be repaired. In place of these bricks, the city has chosen some R.I. Lampus Company products to compliment the streetscape.

The Holland pavers were installed in the historic pattern important to Meadville’s preservation. Offering the stately look of brick, but with the long-lasting durability of easy-to-install concrete pavers, Holland paving stones will not crumble or crack over time, which was appealing to Meadville from a financial point-of-view.

“The installation process was able to be completed in a number of days. The Holland pavers held up Meadville’s historical integrity, while making sense from a timing and fiscal perspective as well,” says Chriest.

 

Eco-Tek™ Pavers Provide Meadville with Eco-Friendly Solution:

City Goes Green While Managing Storm Water

Meadville, PA – Taking a proactive approach to storm water management while using eco-friendly methods and materials, the City of Meadville is partnering with leading environmental solutions company R.I. Lampus to solve the unique challenges that face a city built on a flood plain.

With the French Creek running under many of the streets of Meadville, the area has been prone to floods, with highly traveled streets sometimes underwater. This problem has led the City of Meadville to aggressively search for the most effective means of storm water management, as they are actively retrofitting many of the streets.

Choosing R.I. Lampus Company’s Eco-Tek™ product, environmentally friendly interlocking permeable pavers, Meadville will be using the pavers as a means to better practice storm water management; to save funding from having to install detention ponds, which are expensive and take up valuable real estate; and to support the sustainability of natural resources. The Eco-Tek™ projects will also include replacing a parking area where the asphalt has deteriorated. These projects plan to begin in 2008.

“We are pleased to be incorporating the Eco-Tek™ permeable paving system into our plans. The Eco-Tek™ pavers provide a durable parking surface that will also support the aesthetics of the city, which is very important to us and our historical legacy,” says Joseph Chriest, City Manager and City Engineer for the City of Meadville.

The Eco-Tek™ pavers effectively improve the quality of storm water as it is filtered through the paving system and absorbed by the ground underneath. With both commercial and residential applications, Eco-Tek™ pavers provide unmatchable environmental benefits, while improving the appearance of the streets, or any application that they are being used.

“We are excited to be taking this step towards the ‘greening’ of Meadville with R.I. Lampus Company,” says Chriest. “We are confident that the Eco-Tek™ pavers will deliver improvement in water quality and the reduction of standing water and flooding, which is exactly what Meadville needs.”

 

Omin-Vintage™ at Vineseian Place Omni-Vintage™ Pavers Help Developer Create Unique Outdoor Designs:

Color Differentiates Homes In Community

Wilkins Township, PA – As any developer knows, it is a challenge to build a residential community where each home radiates individuality, while still maintaining design consistency with the other homes. As more homeowners demand uniqueness, The R.I. Lampus Company, an environmental solutions company specializing in paving systems, is making it possible for developers to create beauty in the details.

Vincent A. Nese Construction Company, developers of Vineseian Place, a Florida-style patio home community in Wilkins Township, PA, understands that to create exceptional outdoor appeal, they have to utilize the power of color. Teaming with the R.I. Lampus Company, Nese Construction chose pavers from their Omni-Vintage™ Collection to highlight the natural beauty of the area.

The R.I. Lampus Company’s Omni-Vintage™ pavers are interlocking, high-strength, and low maintenance. Featuring an earthy and natural color palette that compliments both the surrounding greenery and building materials, Omni-Vintage™ pavers bring color to any outdoor project. For Nese Construction, the color palette sealed the deal.

“We used the Omni-Vintage™ Collection due to the vivid color palette that was available to accent the various colors of bricks that we used on each of the patio homes throughout the Vineseian Place community,” said Vinnie Nese, President of Nese Construction. “The available blends of colors add interest to the driveways, walkways and patios, which adds visual appeal to the outdoor living spaces that greet the homeowner each and everyday.”

The color palette features Navajo Blend, Allegheny Blend, Sierra Blend, Desert Blend, and Slate Blend. These colors come in five sizes, which can be combined in numerous patterns, including arched and curved designs.

Creating these patterns of high visual interest with the pavers allowed Nese Construction to vary the look of the plan’s outdoor areas, including pathways, driveways, and patios. This is vital to maximize individuality in patio homes, within the four available patio home designs.

Working with the hilly terrain of the area, the Omni-Vintage™ pavers are easily installed on various elevations and highlight the curves that exist in the natural setting surrounding the patio homes.

To learn more about the classic and colorful Omni-Vintage™ pavers, or other R.I. Lampus Company products, visit www.lampus.com.

 

Eco-Tek™ ensures better water flow New Pavers Promise Better Water Flow for Murrysville

One of the most frequent problems facing developers today is trying to create attractive developments that appeal to their customers, while at the same time trying to ensure those developments comply with environmental requirements.

One of the biggest requirements is how to tame water runoff. In the past, vast parking lots created what’s known as large tracts of “impervious surface.” This impervious surface forces water to run quickly into storm basins or, worse, nearby streams, which soon swell to capacity and cause possible flooding.

These problems were illustrated in early August, when certain Pittsburgh neighborhoods, such as Millvale, flooded because of water upstream rushing into the small creek known as Girty’s Run. The creek overflowed and flooded hundreds of homes.

However, one Springdale masonry company has developed a brand of paver that will actually break up impervious surfaces. Depending on the design the paver is laid into, the water released into storm drains can be reduced by up to 90 percent.

R.I. Lampus Company’s Eco-Tek™ pavers offer developers an alternative to vast oceans of asphalt or huge concrete basins. Eco-Tek™ pavers not only are by their very make-up permeable, their shape allows even more permeability because of a unique, interlocking system that operates much like a camera aperture, said Robert Welling, Vice President of Lampus’ Landscape Division. Laid in one pattern, the pavers offer 5 percent openings. Another pattern allows 30 percent surface voids.

“This system allows you to build a base underneath that percolates the water down before it hits the storm sewers,” Welling said.

Essentially, the pavers are laid on top of a retention pond, which isn’t really a pond, but more of an area of land that retains water and allows it to leech slowly into the ground, preventing flooding of tributaries.

Welling said that even though the pavers are slightly more costly than asphalt or cement, its advantages are far and above those materials in their redeeming environmental properties. The Eco-Tek™ pavers last just as long as their cheaper, environmentally unfriendly alternatives. The maintenance on the pavers is simple power-washing.

One Murrysville development recently completed its parking lot with Eco-Tek™ pavers because the pavers were the only alternative available that would have given them the amount of parking spaces necessary without violating impervious surface regulations.

It’s not the first time that Eco-Tek™ saved a development. In Hempfield Township’s GreenForge renovation project, Eco-Tek™ not only allowed water to drain naturally into the ground, it also cut down on the amount of pollutants that escaped into nearby streams.

“During the Eco-Tek™ project, we were able to create 17 parking spaces with out increasing storm water runoff,” said Kathy Hamilton, storm water Technical Assistant for the Westmoreland Conservation District. “We were also able to complete the project without the need for an additional catch basin or detention pond.”

In fact, Welling said with proper base design and storage capability, great amounts of rain can be released gradually to prevent flooding.

“A deluge of 4 to 9 inches of rain could be handled with ease,” Welling said. “That would exceed 80 percent of all rainfalls in North America.”

To put that in perspective, McCandless, the hardest hit municipality in terms of rainfall in the August 9 storms, received 4 inches of rain in an hour.

Lampus, which also produces Omni-Stone and Versa-Lok masonry products, also takes pride in the fact that the Eco-Tek™ pavers are made from 85 percent recycled material.

 

Retaing Wall Patio Space Looking To Add Value To Your Home?

Creative Applications Of Versa-Lok® Retaining Walls Add Appeal To Both Front And Back Yards

Pittsburgh, PA - If you’re interested in giving your home a facelift without undergoing a total remodel or taking out a second mortgage, retaining walls may be the answer. Whether it’s making over a front entry or dressing up a backyard space, innovative treatments of retaining walls are one of the hottest trends in landscape design today.

Retaining walls have come a long way since they were used exclusively for terrace walls to manage hilly terrain. Most commonly seen on the front of homes along driveways and near garages, retaining walls have grown into a whole new product. Today, retaining wall products like Versa-Lok® come in a variety of colors, shapes and sizes, offering versatility, and even allow for surface lighting. All of these options have taken the tired old retaining wall to an all-new level of eye-catching and functional outdoor options!

The concept has come full circle since the days of yesteryear, when front porches were commonplace and backyard decks and patios didn’t exist. The goal of these new outdoor spaces is to make the front entry more “visitor friendly” and usable.

“People are spending more time at home entertaining, and they want to utilize as much outdoor space as possible for guests and socializing,” says Bob Welling, Vice President of the Landscape Products Division at R.I. Lampus, “A well-designed front-entry courtyard and backyard entertainment area using creative approaches with retaining walls accomplish that while also updating their home and adding curb appeal.”

Marty Peluso, owner of Ornamental Lights, Inc. recently completed a project in Seven Fields, Cranberry Township where the customer’s goal was to convert the outdoors into more functioning living space, without increasing square footage to the home as would be the case with an addition.

“We created a three-quarter circle sitting area to accommodate a raised fire ring as the focal point for the outdoor patio,” says Peluso, “The retaining walls that we constructed around the space serve double-duty as bench seating and planters, creating both form and function in the plan.”

The endless array of design options, as well as durability and ease of installation, make Versa-Lok® a great choice for Peluso. Working with R.I. Lampus Company, Peluso selected the Versa-Lok® product in Desert Blend, which features shades of brown and tan and accented the entertainment area with surface mounted lights for summer evenings.

For more information on how you can give your home a makeover with creative uses of retaining walls, contact R.I. Lampus Company at 412.362.3800 for a landscape contractor/distributor near you.

 

Outdoor Kitchen If You Can’t Take The Heat… Move Your Kitchen Outside!

Outdoor Kitchens Hot Trend With Home Owners

Outdoor cooking areas are the hottest trend in residential landscape design, thanks in no small part to the versatility of segmental retaining wall systems. They can range from a modest fire pit to a full-blown outdoor kitchen that will rival the most lavish indoor cooking areas, replete with stainless-steel appliances, granite countertops and fully plumbed sinks.

Simple Yet Stylish
For the do-it-yourselfer, an outdoor cooking area can be as simple as a paved patio framed with low, freestanding seat-walls and a firepit in the center, says Bob Welling, Vice President of the R.I. Lampus Company’s Landscape Products Division.

“Many homeowners are finding that for a modest investment and a little sweat equity, an unusable backyard space can be transformed into a stylish entertainment area,” says Welling. “Pairing an attractive paver patio with freestanding walls around the perimeter creates a cozy atmosphere for a kitchen or fire pit. The Versa-Lok® retaining walls allow for great style, color and texture choices that match well with our easy-to-install patio kits. We’ve had many do-it-yourselfers create outdoor living spaces with ease.”

Solid Construction
Isaac and Elaine Painter, contractors and owners of Outdoor Luxuries in North Huntingdon, PA, specialize in creating outdoor kitchens as well as custom patios, water features, wood-fired pizza ovens and fire pits.

“During the process of working with clients, we conduct meetings to review the lifestyle needs of clients. From there, we create still frame computer generated designs of the project from several angles to give the client a picture of our recommendations,” says Elaine Painter. “In most cases, we find that homeowners are creating these outdoor kitchens and living spaces to maximize the seasonality. It’s great to be able to extend that ‘picnic and barbeque feeling’ well past the summer months.”

“We’ve created everything from rustic, contemporary, to old-world Tuscan style,” says Isaac Painter, “It’s all about blending the existing structure with the new outdoor space. The Versa-Lok® products carried by Lampus allow for great choices in color, shape and size to create a unique space. The products allow for a flexible design so the areas in the outdoor kitchen can easily convert to both built-in and portable areas, where the grilling and cooking areas can be moved around easily.”

Design Tips
Whether you choose to tackle an outdoor kitchen on your own or hire a contractor, it’s important to keep the following tips in mind in the design phase:

  • Position the grill so prevailing breezes carry smoke away from where people congregate and eat.
  • Use a solid segmental retaining wall system to achieve a natural look that’s also “bulletproof” from the elements, easily modified and virtually maintenance-free.
  • Slope countertops and patios slightly so rainwater doesn’t pool on them.
  • Make sure drainage issues are properly addressed, particularly where tiered spaces are used.
  • Check with local utilities, building codes and manufacturers’ specifications before installing outdoor appliances.
For more information on how you can use segmental retaining walls to create outdoor cooking areas, contact R.I. Lampus Company at 412.362.3800 for a landscaper/distributor near you.

 

Westmoreland Conservation District Lampus And Eco-Tek™ Pave The Way In The GreenForge Building:

Hempfield Township, PA - The Westmoreland Conservation District has partnered with the R.I. Lampus Company in the use of its Eco-Tek™ paving system at the unique GreenForge renovation project that the conservation organization is overseeing.

GreenForge is an ongoing transformation of a previously vacant commercial site into a leading demonstration of today’s most promising sustainable building technologies. In an effort to uphold the natural setting and accommodate the need for paved walkways, parking and driveways, Lampus’ Eco-Tek™ permeable pavers was the perfect fit.

The Lampus Eco-Tek™ pavers are an environmentally-friendly product constructed from recycled materials. This unique permeable paving system is highly effective in improving the quality of stormwater as it passes through the material and enters the groundwater supply. Ultimately, the filtering of the pollutants cuts down on water runoff into area rivers and streams.

“During the Eco-Tek™ project, we were able to create 17 parking spaces, without increasing the stormwater runoff,” reports Kathy Hamilton, Stormwater Technical Assistant for the Westmoreland Conservation District; “We were also able to complete the project without the need for an additional catch basin or detention pond.”

Eco-Tek™ pavers have both commercial and residential applications. Allowing for a variety of designs, appropriate to different traffic patterns, Eco-Tek™ pavers also provide an attractive look.

“We like the interlocking design,” said the Westmoreland Conservation District Hydraulic Engineer, Jim Pillsbury. “It allows for a more stable surface than bricks. It provides a very solid surface. The design applications can be appropriate for patios, walkways, driveways and parking areas.”

GreenForge is believed to be the first “green” rehabilitation of a commercial building in Westmoreland County. The 23,000-square-foot building is being designed and outfitted with energy-conserving measures, and low-impact sustainable building technologies. Completion of the renovation is expected in December 2007.

 

A.D.A. Paver Handicapped Accessibility:

The following update was printed in the May 2007 Interlocking Concrete Pavement Magazine.

Eco-Tek™ pavers laid in a pattern with no voids can meet these American Disabilities Act architectural Design guidelines. 4" x 8" Pavers with truncated domes are also available to integrate into the Eco-Tek™ paving system where detectable warnings are required.

ADA Update:
The American Disabilities Act architectural design guidelines (ADAAG) require all pavements to be firm, stable and slip resistant. The only quantifiable requirement applies to slip resistance where surfaces must have a minimum static coefficient of 0.5 and 0.8 for sloped surfaces. An emerging set of guidelines for the public right of way has been published on the Access Board web site since November 2005 at www.access-board.gov. They are draft guidelines and are not yet regulatory design guidelines. They are expected to become regulations later in 2007 or 2008 and will be announced in the Federal Register, the daily publication of U.S. government activities and rule-making. The proposed guidelines have received substantial public comment and will likely receive another round of public comment as part of the notice for proposed rule making or NPRM expected as part of the announcement in the Federal Register. The draft guidelines relating to segmental paving are briefly reviewed below as they will likely inform design of all segmental paving.

Detectable warnings will be required on the first 24 inches of curb ramps with slightly wider spacing among the small domes to better accommodate wheelchairs. Details on dimensions and layout are provided on the Access Board web site. The proposed draft guidelines repeat the “firm, stable and slip resistant” requirement found in the existing ADAAG and include proposed requirements for surface discontinuities with advisory text and proposed regulations for horizontal openings. The text is provided below.

    R301.5 Surface. The surface of the pedestrian access route shall be firm, stable and slip resistant.

    R301.2 Surface Discontinuities. Surface discontinuities shall not exceed 13 mm (0.50 in) maximum. Vertical discontinuities between 6.4 mm (0.25 in) and 13 mm (0.5 in) maximum shall be beveled at 1:2 minimum. The bevel shall be applied across the entire level change.

    R301.5.2 Surface Discontinuities. Surfaces with individual units laid out of plane and those that are heavily textured, rough, or chamfered, will greatly increase rolling resistance and will subject pedestrians who use wheelchairs, scooters, and rolling walkers to the stressful (and often painful) effects of vibration. It is highly desirable to minimize surface discontinuities; when discontinuities on the pedestrian access route are unavoidable, they should be widely separated.

    R301.7 Horizontal Openings

    R301.7.1 Walkway Joints and Gratings. Openings shall not permit passage of a sphere more than 13 mm (0.5 in) in diameter. Elongated openings shall be placed so that the long dimension is perpendicular to the dominant direction of travel.

The above proposed regulation on horizontal openings is expected to reduce tripping hazards for people with canes and walkers as well as minimize discomfort for wheelchair users, not to mention those riding bikes or pushing strollers. Advisory R301.5.2 above suggests that small or chamferless segmental paving will reduce rolling resistance and vibration in wheelchairs and users. ICPI members can provide a range of solid and permeable paving products that are compatible with wheelchair users. ICPI has also conducted research into wheelchair-pavement interaction. The research found that a 6 mm wide chamfer provided a smooth ride for wheelchair users and was presented to the Access Board. For a free copy of the report email icpi@icpi.org.

    - Interlocking Concrete Pavement Magazine May, 2007 -         BACK TO TOP

 

Infiltration Rates of Permeable Interlocking Concrete Pavement Systems:

A common error in designing permeable interlocking concrete pavements is assuming that the amount or percent of opening surface area is equal to the percent of perviousness. For example, an 18% open surface area is incorrectly assumes to be 18% pervious, or 82% impervious. The perviousness and amount of infiltration are dependant on the infiltration rates of joint filling material, bedding layer, and base materials, not the percentage of open surface area.

Compared to soils, permeable interlocking concrete pavements have a very high degree of infiltration. For example, a clay soil classified as CL using the Unified Soil Classification System might have an infiltration rate in the order of 1.4 x 10-5 in./hr (10-9 m/sec). A silty sand (SM) could have 1.4 x 10-3 in./hr (10-7 m/sec) infiltration rate. Open graded, crushed aggregate placed in the openings of permeable interlocking concrete pavements will have an initial infiltration over 500 in./hr (over 10-3 m/sec), i.e., 10,000 times grater than the sandy soil and 100,000 times greater than the clay soil. The open-graded base material has even higher infiltration, typically 500 to 2000 in./hr (10-3 to 10-2 m/sec). Therefore, the small percentage of open surface area is capable of providing a large amount of infiltration into the pavement.

Regardless of the high infiltration rate of the aggregates used in the openings and base, a key consideration is the lifetime design infiltration of the entire pavement cross-section, including the soil subgrade. Its infiltration rate is difficult to predict over time. There can be short-term variations from different amounts of antecedent water in it, and long-term reductions of infiltration from partially clogged surface or base, geotextiles or soil subgrade. So a conservative approach should always be taken when establishing the design infiltration rate of the pavement system.

Studies on permeable interlocking concrete pavers have attempted to estimate their long-term infiltration performance. Permeable concrete units (made with no fine aggregates) demonstrate lowest average permeability. Interlocking shapes with openings or those with enlarged permeable joints offer substantially higher infiltration performance over the long term.

Limited research on permeable pavements made with solid, nonporous units provides some guidance on long-term infiltration rates. German studies (6)(7)(8)(12) reviewed parking lots with open-graded materials in the paver openings over an open-graded base. They showed a high initial infiltration when new, and a decrease and leveling off as they aged. The decrease in infiltration is natural and is due to the deposit of fine materials such as dirt, vegetation in the joints, and clogging of the base geotextiles.

When tested, new pavements demonstrated very high infiltration rates of almost 9 in./hr (6 x 10-5 m/sec) and two four-year old parking lots indicated rates of about 3 in./hr (2 x 10-5 m/sec). Lower rates were exhibited on pavements where openings were filled with sand or aggregate and itinerant vegetation. In another study of two and five-year old parking lots, the infiltration rates were about 6 and 5 in./hr (4 and 3.5 x 10-5 m/sec) respectively. Infiltration was measured over approximately one hour for these two studies.

The results of these studies confirm that the long-term infiltration rate depends on the intensity of use and the degree to which the surface and base receive sediment. This also confirmed in the literature on the performance of infiltration trenches. Since there are infiltration differences between initial and long-term performance, construction, plus inevitable clogging, a conservative design rate of 1.1 in./hr (8 x 10-6 m/sec or 80 L/sec/hectare) can be used as the basis for the design infiltration rate for a 20-year life. In other words, the German studies of new and existing pavements, as well those of infiltration trenches, indicate that the lifetime average infiltration rate is roughly 10% of the initial rate. Therefore, a conservative factor of safety of 10 should be applied to the initial infiltration rate to account for clogging over time.

    - ICPI - Permeable Interlocking Concrete Pavements -         BACK TO TOP