Archives

Woodbury Community Development

Woodbury is a neighborhood of Irvine, California, located from Irvine Boulevard to Trabuco Road, between Jeffrey Road and Sand Canyon Avenue.  Several recreational facilities have been developed within the community. The Woodbury Community Park, a public access park contains two baseball diamonds, two basketball courts, a soccer field, a community center building, and a 3,000 sq ft Tot-Lot, which is part of The Commons.

The Commons, in the heart of Woodbury, is a 30 Acre social gathering spot, with an elementary school, and a 9-acre private recreational facility, with four tennis courts, a basketball court, a beach volleyball court, three swimming pools, a water garden, and a great lawn.

The Woodbury Community Development was in need of access points for emergency vehicles. Without compromising the landscape design, the Grasscrete Concealed System was chosen for its aesthetics and durability. Grasscrete was installed along the Jeffrey Trail and adjacent to the trail to allow emergency vehicle access to the rear of residences for a quicker response time.

The Fully Concealed Grasscrete System, part of the Bomanite Pervious Concrete Systems was also employed as medians to provide wider turnaround areas for fire trucks and maintenance vehicles. Additional areas installed around The Commons clubhouse and volleyball court allow greater accessibility in case of an emergency.

By forming a concrete lattice of solid and void, Grasscrete combines the strength and rigidity of a single, structural framework while still providing enough access to soil, water, and sunlight to support sustained vegetation. The result is a vegetated permeable surface that remains drivable when needed, capable of supporting the parked weight of a fully loaded fire truck. Grasscrete offers the ability to provide year-round access for a variety of applications requiring structural paving surfaces without compromising the aesthetics of the exterior landscaping while accommodating a variety of needs for the Woodbury Community Development.

Von Karman Office Complex

The office complexes at 16845 Von Karman Ave, Irvine California received an emergency vehicle access area that uses the Bomanite Grasscrete System. Bomanite Licensed contractor, T.B. Penick & Sons, Inc. worked with Wolcott Architecture to select the sustainable pervious concrete system that would work best with the intended use.

The Partially Concealed Grasscrete System is engineered to provide long-term durability, low maintenance and structural strength. Access around or to buildings for fire trucks or other emergency vehicles are typically concealed with grass and defined with curbs, bollards or landscaping to complement the design of the structures and walkways.

The combination of concrete, steel and aggregate interlock ensures that Grasscrete can bear isolated loads; such as downriggers placed in an emergency situation with no support blocks. The robustness of the system minimizes the potential for failure during critical use.

Grasscrete, pervious concrete, constructed with one time use formers is time proven. Because of its structural integrity and continuous reinforcing, Grasscrete is not subject to the differential settlement that can occur with precast blocks and thin plastic products. The sustainable Grasscrete Molded Pulp Former System, used for the office complex project, has been engineered and field proven to bear the continuous weight of up to 114,000 pound vehicles along with such customized applications as military tank use or light speed rail track access– even when the sub-base becomes saturated making this ideal for this Emergency Access area.

Essex County Estate Driveway

The owners of this grand estate in Essex County, Massachusetts installed several decorative concrete systems throughout their property. The estate contains an indoor swimming pool, BBQ house, several patios and courtyards, a Barn and two garages, plus a full indoor basketball court that doubles as a Hockey Rink.

After working with Premier Concrete Construction, LLC on their garage project and reviewing additional needs, the homeowner acquired their services for a Pervious Concrete System. The homeowner wanted a pervious cobblestone driveway for the tradesmen estate entrance. The driveway needed to reflect the exterior design of the home and be able to handle storm water runoff while supporting the weight and use of delivery vehicles.

Bomanite Grasscrete is the green alternative to standard concrete surfaces providing a variety of landscape solutions while maintaining a sustainable green product design used for emergency access lanes, delivery access routes, overflow parking areas, and for intermittent drainage channels that help prevent erosion.

Grasscrete has been used as an exposed utilitarian product for functional applications and as a concealed system with vegetation such as grass or native ground cover installed over the concrete allowing consumers to mitigate drainage issues while maintaining strong structural integrity for some of the heaviest vehicles to operate unencumbered. The Partially Concealed Grasscrete System provides the differential spacing you see with cobblestones giving the homeowner the look desired.

The Grasscrete single-use molded pulp formers were shaped and laid on the sub grade at approx. 1,300 sq. ft. to create the access for the service vehicles. Concrete was poured and placed over the formers and then voids were opened after the concrete hardened, allowing for grass to be planted.  Grasscrete offers the ability to provide year-round access for a variety of applications requiring structural paving surfaces without compromising the aesthetics of the exterior landscaping.

AWARDS: Best Bomanite Grasscrete Project – Silver Award

Private Residence Artist Studio

The residential backyard space, adjacent to an Artists/Musicians studio located in Massachusetts, required an access area to accommodate large delivery vehicles. More importantly, it required a permanent solution for stormwater management and yet still maintain landscape aesthetics necessary to help nurture the creative minds of the occupants.

Bomanite Licensee, Premier Concrete Construction worked with the homeowner in planning out the space for the Bomanite Pervious Concrete Grasscrete System. Grasscrete not only augmented the landscape architecture by handling the stormwater runoff but added benefit of a very long lifespan. Grasscrete has been a Bomanite System for over 40 years with installations throughout North America in all climate types. Grasscrete can handle the harsh New England winters and has zero potential for freeze-thaw or clogging issues. The Bomanite Grasscrete Molded Pulp Former System has been engineered to provide long-term durability, low maintenance and structural strength.

The backyard project incorporated 3,000 square feet of the Grasscrete System. A subbase was prepped to facilitate stormwater management via proper drainage and to create the outer forms of the project. Next, the Molded Pulp Formers were placed with rebar for continual reinforcement. The concrete then poured, leveled, broom finished, and allowed to dry. Voids were created to put the final finishing touches on the entire project. At the time of installation, the owner was contemplating having half of the Grasscrete fully Concealed and the half closer to the building Partially Concealed.

Grasscrete can be used as an exposed utilitarian product for functional applications or as a concealed system with vegetation such as grass or native ground cover installed over the concrete. This system allows you to mitigate drainage issues while maintaining strong structural integrity that allows for some of the heaviest vehicles to operate unencumbered. A perfect solution for this Artist Studio space.

Premier Concrete Construction won the 2018 Bomanite Gold Award for Best Grasscrete Project.

Goody Goody Liquor Store Parking Lot

Goody Goody Liquor is located in a flood plain below White Rock Lake, making Grasscrete an ideal pervious product to help with storm water management. Their need for an emergency vehicle access area as well as parking stalls was solved with the Grasscrete Stone Filled System. Bomanite Licensee, Texas Bomanite, worked with Goody Goody to implement a city regulation that a percent of the site paving was required to be pervious due to the nature of the flood zones.

Grasscrete Stone Filled applications offer maximum percolation rates and a low maintenance option that is both functional and environmentally friendly. Stone filled systems are capable of draining at rates of up to 480 inches per hour with 100% retention of water possible with correct design.

In designing the parking area, some of the stalls were concreted and some of them done with the pervious Grasscrete system. The Grasscrete molded pulp former was used to form the lot, concrete was poured, voids were removed and stone aggregate was filled in the voids to allow for additional drainage. Parking stall lines were added to delineate spaces. Goody Goody wanted the solid walkway added for ADA to be able to push a shopping cart across the parking lot easily if needed. The solid walkway also allows for ease of a smooth transportation of people from the store to an emergency ambulance vehicle.

Sprouts Farmers Market Parking Lot

The Sprouts Farmers Market Store located in Denton,Texas incorporated a void structured Grasscrete parking lot into their build and design. The company needed a pervious pavement system that could control storm water drainage, stand up to emergency vehicles as well as offer a standard parking lot with delineated parking stalls.

Working with the local Grasscrete Installer, Texas Bomanite, and the engineer, Winklemann & Associates, Inc.the parking lot was designed and installation of 14,775 square feet began with the layout of the formers to fit the space and requirements. The subbase was prepped prior to the formers being laid. Reinforcing rebar was set and concrete poured next to provide the stability and strength needed. Former tops were then removed and voids filled with stone.

The Grasscrete Stone Filled System was ideal for Sprouts. The Stone filled system is perfect for sustained traffic areas and can be filled with no-fines stone for maximum percolation rates while providing a low maintenance option that is both functional and environmentally friendly. Stone filled systems are capable of draining at rates of up to 480 inches per hour with 100% retention of water possible with correct design.

Sprouts practices “Responsible Retailing” in sourcing, operations and building. All stores are built to LEED Silver specifications. The void structured Grasscrete system contributes to LEED requirements due to the reduction in heat island effect, management of storm water runoff, recycled content used in the application process as well as the concrete and sub-base, the long lifespan and the low maintenance required. Grasscrete Systems are highly sustainable with a very low life-cycle cost and the ability to be completely recycled and used in a future project.

Jean Lafitte Auditorium

Finding the exact sequence of product, preparation and installation is often driven by the building site’s particular challenges. Such was the case for the Town of Jean Lafitte, Louisiana. In September 2008, Hurricane Ike destroyed the town auditorium while flooding thousands of homes and businesses in Jefferson Parrish. The existing auditorium’s central location adjacent to Lafitte Library and both the elementary and middle schools, was critical to its success as a community landmark. The Town was determined to rebuild and resolve site issues related to the flood plain.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), funded the new auditorium, however they required that the site be raised out of the flood plain before new construction could begin. Filled with more than nine feet of a local soil known as River Sand, the site was raised and a pile-supported building was designed for the new 18,000 sf auditorium. Elevating the site resulted in some drainage complications along the parking lot where a steep embankment transitions down to a ball field at the original grade.

“The slope needed to be stabilized beyond the parking lot because of the steep grade and concerns about erosion,” says Robby Oswald, owner of Bomanite of New Orleans, the contractor hired to resolve the issue. Oswald describes the hill as descending about 7 feet in just 12 feet of distance and with rain runoff in Louisiana’s damp climate, the hill side would likely deteriorate quickly. Once it did it would be potentially dangerous in a highly-trafficked area between the schools and library.

“The Grasscrete Slope Protection System was the ideal solution because it allows grass or other vegetation to grow within the voids. In this case it was covered with sod,” continues Oswald, who along with other Bomanite Licensees across the country have exclusive rights to this innovative concrete system that has been in development since the mid-1970’s. Beyond the ability to be planted naturally, a key to Grasscrete’s success is its overall strength and durability. The Grasscrete molded-pulp former was used to allow cast-in-place concrete to be monolithically placed. When the forms are continuously reinforced with #4 rebar, the result is a compressive strength that can range from 4,500 psi to 12,000 psi depending on the specific mix used. That strength is identical to other flatwork concrete. Another important part of concrete’s strength is in the thickness of the slab. Grasscrete formers are designed for a 5 ½ inch thick concrete pan.

As a Bomanite Licensed Contractor, Oswald has used Grasscrete on many other applications and notes that it is especially useful in situations where the client wants a vegetated surface but municipal codes require access for emergency vehicles. He adds that overflow and industrial parking lots where surface drainage can be beneficial, as well as roadway shoulders and embankments are all opportunities for engineers to consider Grasscrete.

The da Vinci Campus Parking Lot

PROJECT SPECIFICATIONS/INFORMATION

Description:

The da Vinci Campus is a GOLD LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) registered campus and was among the first of its kind to be dedicated solely to early childhood education.

The 21,000 square foot campus was designed to operate in harmony with the natural environment, and teaches children about science, as well as environmental responsibility. Featuring many built and natural features visible and apparent to the children, students are able to see the scientific principles of the building at work.

The campus is registered with the United States Green Building Council, (USGBC), for the very purpose of becoming a teaching tool. It is a “building that teaches” in the true sense. The Da Vinci Campus shares their building process and lessons learned that are applicable to residential, educational and commercial construction or remodeling. To learn more about the Founding Partners and the unique products brought to the building process visit : http://davincicampus.com/features

The Bomanite Pervious Concrete System was chosen for the da Vinci campus need for a pervious pavement parking lot. Local Bomanite Licensed Contractor, Texas Bomanite was awarded the project and worked with the campus and Cunningham Architects to provide a LEED proven product, Grasscrete – Stone Filled Installation. Grasscrete helps LEED accredited professionals in accruing points toward a LEED certification of a particular building or project. The selection of a Bomanite Pervious Concrete System is one of the easiest ways to achieve points in the reduction of heat island effect, management of storm water runoff, use of recycled content incorporated in the application process, as well as in the concrete and sub-­base, and satisfies the long life span and low maintenance requirements.

Stone Filled Grasscrete Systems are ideal for sustained traffic areas and can be filled with no-fines stone for maximum percolation rates providing a low maintenance option that is both functional and environmentally friendly. Most common uses for Stone Filled Grasscrete installations are vehicle parking, access roads, fire and emergency access and military installations.

.

Fort Bragg Battle Command Training Center

Grasscrete was installed at the Fort Bragg Battle Command Training Center (BCTC) providing optimal structural durablity for vehicle access. The slab was designed to handle Humvee’s and Bradley Fighting Vehicles for battle training exercises. Approximately 112,000 square feet of Grasscrete was poured and filled with crushed stone for maximum percolation rates and low maintenance.

Grasscrete allows you to mitigate drainage issues while maintaining strong structural integrity that allows for some of the heaviest vehicles to operate unencumbered. Grasscrete offers the ability to provide year round access for a variety of applications requiring structural paving surfaces without compromising the aesthetics of the exterior landscaping and is a very sustainable product that can employ a large recycled material content both in the form of aggregate and binder such as fly ash or slag.

Clovis Community Hospital

The Clovis Community Hospital, located in Clovis, California received a much needed emergency vehicle access road. The access road was recommended by the local fire department due to the need to get fire trucks close to an area that is difficult to reach in case of an emergency.
 
The Bomanite Grasscrete System was selected for the project due to it’s strength, durability and aesthetically pleasing Grasscrete Molded Pulp Formers were utilized for this project providing sustainability with their 100% recycled content and ability degrade over time into the sub-soils. The project was completed within one day due to the Molded Pulp Formers ease of use. The day was spent on preparing the area to receive the Grasscrete, laying the formers with reinforcement and then pouring the concrete. The former tops were removed and the concrete washed down the second day.