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LASN June 2011 PMBR: Permeable Pavers Fulfill College's ''Green'' Wishes06-17-11 | News
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Permeable Pavers Fulfill College's ''Green'' Wishes

By Matt Foley, Unilock




The team that designed the South Quadrangle Plaza at Stonehill College used Eco-Priora?EUR??,,????'?????????????? 10"x10" permeable unit pavers with colors complementing the fa?????ade of the neighboring Shields Science Center. Approximately 20,000 square feet of pavers were used here and these pavers are jointed with a dark grey ASTM #9 Aggregate.
Photos: Unilock

Universities across the country are pledging their commitment to our environment through sustainable design and ?EUR??,,????'?????<

Situated 20 miles south of Boston, Stonehill is a private Catholic liberal arts college in the suburban community of Easton, Mass. With design firms Brown Sardina Landscape Architects and Nitsch Engineering collaborating, the project began in spring of 2009 after the completion of Stonehill?EUR??,,????'?????<




Three custom colors were matched in the manufacturer?EUR??,,????'?????<

Design Challenges
While the South Quadrangle unified the college?EUR??,,????'?????<




Flush mounted aluminum plates protect anchorages for a massive tent canopy and house electrical resources. These features were required because the site is used for seasonal events.

Green Campus
From the earliest stages of this project, the landscape architecture and civil engineering firms embraced the college?EUR??,,????'?????<

Nitsch Engineering is well known for their experience in sustainable infrastructure and having existing relationships with the local conservation commission made for an easy transition to a permeable surface pavement. The conservation commission accepted permeable pavement as a best management practice for this plaza initiative. Large areas of dense pavement can greatly diminish and often eliminate any potential for storm water infiltration.

Without the natural infiltration of rainfall, such pavements accumulate pollutants and sediments that ultimately are conveyed into local water supplies, most often through costly and largely unseen grey infrastructure.




Rhythm and geometry define the new South Quad, while providing structural pavement combined with stormwater management. Native plantings frame the plaza and soften the feel of the expansive paved area. The grasses include pennisetum alopecuroides ?EUR??,,????'?????<


Permeable Paver Solution
The choice of a permeable plaza surface was the result of examination of site subgrade infiltration rates and an overall storm water strategy to prevent runoff that would otherwise be generated by such a large expanse of solid pavement. The Shields Science Center?EUR??,,????'?????<

Additional new site amenities include campus standard light fixtures and fixed metal tables offering unique viewpoints to the beauty of the South Quad. New England fieldstone seating walls allow people to engage at the plaza perimeter and they match the numerous natural stone walls existing on campus. Unique details for tent anchorages were designed in concert with the canopy manufacturer and resulted in flush mount panels that also included electrical supply for social gatherings.

The plaza paving was constructed of approximately 20,000 square feet of Eco-Priora?EUR??,,????'?????????????? permeable unit pavers manufactured by Unilock???????(R)????. One challenge was to break up the massive pavement requirement while creating a sense of scale incorporating rhythm and geometry. ?EUR??,,????'?????<




Workers increased their labor efficiencies by utilizing paver carts on this hand-installed permeable pavement. The project originally called for an impervious surface area, but that surface put the project over budget, forcing elimination of the dense pavement base profile and associated subsurface storm water system.


The landscape architecture team imagined the 5" x 10" and 10" x 10" units laid in a modern rectilinear pattern with colors complementing the architecture of the Shields Science Center. Three custom colors were matched in the manufacturer?EUR??,,????'?????<

Admittedly apprehensive about the custom color selection, the landscape architecture group expressed value in visiting the local manufacturing of the permeable concrete paving units and being intimately involved in the color blending.

The South Quadrangle represents an innovative blend of form and function, marrying structural pavement with storm water design. A campus crossroads, the South Quad is a solid example of environmental stewardship at an institute of higher learning.

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