The Best Eco-Friendly Paving for Universities
Universities tend to be some of the most forward-thinking places on Earth. Especially when it comes to environmental awareness, they’re always looking for the latest and greatest technology to help reduce carbon emissions and promote sustainability.
Impermeable pavement like concrete and asphalt is one of the largest producers of carbon emissions that we have, which makes it crucial to implement eco-friendly alternatives wherever possible.
Concrete and asphalt are inferior paving materials because of the amount of maintenance they require, the additional drainage systems needed, the installation times, and overall cost.
One alternative to these harmful materials has been taking the world by storm. TRUEGRID permeable pavement is the number one paving solution for businesses and universities alike.
In case you weren’t aware why TRUEGRID has been gaining steam with the environmentally-conscious lately, let’s take a look at its many benefits, as well as a case study at a certain university.
How Do TRUEGRID Pavers Work?
Made from 100% post-consumer recycled plastic, TRUEGRID PRO PLUS pavers are snapped together over an excavated area that has been filled with compacted aggregate. The pavers are then filled with more aggregate which is pressed into the empty cells of the pavers, creating a super strong, durable surface that also drains and detains stormwater. Cars, trucks, bicycles, or pedestrians are all compatible with TRUEGRID.
The pavers are almost effectively 100% permeable, allowing rainwater, pollutants, and more to drain directly through them into the soil below, where it can be naturally filtered, as nature intended.
The advantages that TRUEGRID pavers have over other pavement options are many. First, they require almost no maintenance throughout their lifetime. A parking lot built with TRUEGRID pavers can last up to 60 years with very minimal maintenance required.
They are weather-resistant, UV-resistant, and durable enough to handle the weight of a falling monster truck without breaking. They’re also sleek and aesthetically pleasing, making them superior to concrete and asphalt pavement in just about every way.
UC Santa Cruz Case Study
As a college located right on the northern coastline of California, UC Santa Cruz had some special requirements when it came to installing new parking lots.
Not only did they need something that was aesthetically pleasing, they needed pavement that could safely and effectively handle the runoff, oil and gas drippings, phosphorus, nitrogen, and other auto pollutants that are commonly leaked in most parking lots.
Being next to the coastline, they could not afford these liquids getting into the ocean without being properly filtered. So, they used TRUEGRID in 6 new parking lots, all built with TRUEGRID PRO PLUS pavers. They used clean stone for the infill and base, which naturally filters the rainwater through a bioremediation process as it is entering the soil.
TRUEGRID was also used to build one of the 6 parking lots with additional filtration by directing the already-filtered water from the TRUEGRID lot into a secondary vegetated swale area that further filtered the runoff water before it eventually made its way to the ocean.
TRUEGRID Pavers are Perfect for Universities
UC Santa Cruz was very pleased with the effectiveness of the filtration system that TRUEGRID PRO PLUS pavers provide, but also with how TRUEGRID was used to design the parking lots in a way that complemented their aesthetic. It’s safe to say that this project was a massive success, and other universities would do well to follow in the footsteps of UC Santa Cruz.
If you want pavement that is made from eco-friendly material, and also helps preserve the local water table and prevents pollutants from contaminating nearby oceans, lakes, and storm systems, don’t hesitate to get in touch with a pavement professional from TRUEGRID today for a quote.
If you own a commercial business, you want your exterior paving to look as nice as possible. Having a beautiful exterior hardscape design for your business sends a message to everyone who visits.
It leaves an impression and helps to better represent your company. Plain concrete walkways are boring. If you really want to make an impact with your hardscape, you need to get creative and experiment with new commercial hardscape ideas.
Hardscape Design Ideas
There are plenty of ways to do so nowadays, so let’s take a look at 7 commercial hardscape design ideas you can use to make your place of business stand out from the rest.
1. Terraced Slope with Water Features
If you’ve got a sloping hill to work with, having it terraced is the perfect way to make the most of it. By cutting terraces into your sloping land, you can use them to install greenery, flowers, shrubs, or any other feature you’d like. You can also have steps built into it, and even place a water feature like a fountain or lazy river at the bottom.
2. Natural Wood
Natural wood is incredibly versatile and looks good anywhere. If there’s a man-made creek or flowing water of any kind near your business, you can use natural wood to build a beautiful bridge over it.
You can also construct walkways, cable railings, and other features that work well to compliment the nature around them, as opposed to concrete or asphalt which gives off an industrial vibe.
3. Pergolas
Pergolas are perfect as landscaping for commercial businesses because they mostly serve as style pieces. They can provide a bit of shade or an area to sit down under but there is so much stylistic diversity with pergolas that they work best as an aesthetic addition to a hardscaping project.
You can choose from plain white stone pergolas, wooden pergolas, Roman-style pergolas with drapes, vines, and lattices, or any other design you can think up. Pergolas are some of the most versatile hardscaping accessories available.
4. TRUEGRID Permeable Pavers
Plastic permeable pavers from TRUEGRID can be filled with any type of aggregate you choose, and they are the perfect way to implement an eco-friendly design into your hardscaping. They look clean-cut and sleek, and are perfect for building parking lots, walkways, outdoor lounge areas, and more. They can be filled with any color aggregate to compliment your business aesthetic.
TRUEGRID PRO PLUS pavers are durable, low-maintenance, and provide the perfect foundation for adding more features like landscaping, benches, statues, sculptures, and much more.
5. Paver Art
If you’ve got a company brand or logo you want front and center, there’s no better way to display it than by having it implemented in your commercial hardscape design. Permeable stone pavers tend to work well for this type of design because they prevent water from running over the design and help keep it looking fresh.
6. Shade
If you expect plenty of sun as many businesses do, it’s never a bad idea to incorporate some shade into your commercial hardscape design. You can mix and match some of the aforementioned elements such as natural wood and TRUEGRID pavers as pavement.
For the actual shade, you could opt for patio-like structures, basic canvas shading, a pavilion, or anything that’s going to provide enough shade to get comfortable under. It doesn’t hurt to mix in a water feature and center all your seating and shading around that, either.
7. TRUEGRID ROOT Pavers
If you want to transform your grass into hardscaping without actually turning it into hard pavement, you’re in luck. TRUEGRID ROOT pavers are made from 100% recycled plastic and can be installed right over the top of your grass. The grass will grow up through them and can be kept at your desired height.
You could keep it somewhat short to show the pavers beneath or let it grow high enough that it hides the hardscaping. These pavers are durable enough to park and drive on and will prevent your grass from being rutted, torn up, or matted down.
You don’t even need a permit to install these, and much like TRUEGRID PRO PLUS pavers, the installation can be completed in under a day.
Let Your Hardscaping Speak for Itself with TRUEGRID
If you want to make a great first impression, optimizing your commercial hardscape design is crucial. There’s no excuse to have boring concrete walkways and monotone color schemes all around your building when there are so many creative hardscaping designs to choose from.
You don’t have to pick just one, either. Many of the commercial hardscape ideas listed here complement each other nicely, and can work together to create an overall theme or aesthetic that impresses everyone who sees it. TRUEGRID pavers, especially, go well with almost anything.
Whether you want to display your company logo, offer some shading, make use of a slope, incorporate natural wood, or achieve some other effect, any of the ideas listed here would be a great place to start.
If you’re interested in incorporating TRUEGRID pavers in the mix, be sure to contact one of our pavement professionals today for an estimate.
Concrete is one of the most harmful construction materials on the planet when it comes to measuring its environmental impact. The process by which concrete is made releases tons of CO2 into the atmosphere and accounts for about 8% of the world’s carbon dioxide emissions while consuming nearly 3% of its energy supply.
However, since concrete is unlikely to be phased completely out of use anytime soon, we can reduce the amount we use wherever possible. One of the ways to lower our concrete carbon footprint is by using alternative paving materials. There are plenty of options with a lower carbon footprint than concrete that work just as well for paving surfaces.
If you’re looking to lay new pavement down for any reason, let’s take a look at some much healthier options that will work just as good, if not better than concrete.
1. Porous Asphalt
Porous asphalt is more environmentally-friendly than concrete for a number of reasons. First, it produces much less runoff, which lessens the burden on local storm systems. It also requires much less energy to make and puts less carbon dioxide in the air. It also doesn’t require as much maintenance as concrete if it’s properly maintained.
Although porous asphalt isn’t entirely permeable, it does allow enough stormwater to pass through it that it lessens the need for additional drainage systems and storage basins.
Porous asphalt is able to handle most general traffic, but is weak and doesn’t whereas well as traditional asphalt. Alos, to stay pervious it needs frequent cleaning or power washing. It is a viable option to be considered a choice for residential homeowners in need of a new driveway to commercial business owners looking to install a parking lot.
2. Grid-Supported Grass
Grid-supported grass is one of the environmentally-friendly pavement options available. There are many types of grids designed to stabilize and support grass for handling light to moderate traffic. The most eco-friendly version of these is plastic.
Recycled plastic grids can be laid down over the top of grass, allowing the grass to grow up and through the holes in the grids. These grids have a tiny carbon footprint as they’re produced with recycled materials.
They are also almost entirely permeable and allow for the natural flow of water directly through them and into the soil below. They are not suitable for heavy, repeated traffic from industrial vehicles, but they work perfectly well for commercial and residential usage.
You can also use them to turn grass areas into parking spaces without having to obtain any permits, as you would with porous asphalt, concrete, or any other material that requires excavation.
3. Slag/Gravel
Slag and gravel are similar materials that also work quite well as pavement. Slag is best used in residential driveways and works best when stabilized with plastic pavers.
Gravel can also be used in a similar fashion, and it works much better when stabilized. If you want to use gravel for commercial purposes or you just want to prevent it from spreading, permeable plastic grid pavers can be used to stabilize it.
TRUEGRID PRO PAVERS are an example of a superior paving product that can stabilize gravel and make it suitable for supporting heavy traffic for many years. Suitable for both commercial and residential use, these pavers are made from 100% recycled plastic and help prevent tons of CO2 from being released into the atmosphere each year.