This parking lot in Chambly, Quebec, was paved with new LEED-approved permeable pavers, which were designed specifically for large areas. They allow water to percolate through their joints instead of their surfaces.

A newly launched surfacing product that meets LEED standards is being billed by its manufacturer as a commercial, monolithic, tongue-and-groove paver.

The manufacturer is Techo-Bloc and the new product is called INFLO. It is a permeable paver that was developed for the industrial, commercial, and institutional markets to pave large surfaces such as public squares, residential streets, municipal and shopping-center parking lots.

According to ??????ric Clavette, vice-president of sales at Techo-Bloc, "It should appeal particularly to ICI building owners, promoters and developers, civil engineers and landscape architects."

The new product features an integrated self-locking tongue-and-groove system with vertical, horizontal and rotational interlock. It was designed to manage rainwater runoff by letting water percolate directly into the ground through its joints and not through the pavers themselves.

Tests by the manufacturer maintain that the absorption capacity of the paver system is able to handle the heaviest rainfalls recorded in the past 50 years. The system was tested under different conditions with different foundation configurations. Since the product was developed for large surfaces, the company's R&D team devised a patent-pending mechanical clamp.

The pavers are made from concrete that is generally light in color; a design feature intended to create less heat island effect than impermeable asphalt surfaces. Concrete also has a higher solar reflectivity index when compared to asphalt, which, according to the manufacturer, will result in lower energy costs for air conditioning, as well as improved air quality.