With architects, engineers and owners now embracing “green” construction, the relevance of sustainable paving options continues to grow. A prime example is the pavement system used at the Regency Skilled Nursing Center, a 113-bed nursing care facility located on a 14-acre site in Canton Township, built by T.H. Marsh Construction Co., Royal Oak, and designed by NSA Architects, Engineers, Planners, Farmington Hills. The facility hosts the first Grasscrete installation in Michigan.
The Regency facility took full advantage of Grasscrete’s “green” attributes and its pavement strength. After construction of the Canton Regency Nursing facility, it was determined that the site plan needed to be amended to include an additional drive lane to provide improved access to the building for firefighting and emergency response vehicles. With forested wetlands and a county drain on site, placement of this second driveway was initially constrained by the site’s limited buildable space of only 35 percent.
Because the selected location for the service drive was in a buffer zone near the site’s stormwater detention pond, the driveway paving system had to meet the requirements of two reviewing agencies: a pervious system capable of meeting Wayne County stormwater and zoning standards, and a paving system capable of meeting the Public Safety Board’s standards for a roadway with the ability to support fully loaded fire trucks with outriggers. In addition, the owner expressed concerns about maintaining and plowing any type of pervious pavement in the winter.
Zeimet Wozniak & Associates, Inc., a New Hudson-based civil engineering firm, contacted CSI Geoturf, Inc., a distributor for Grasscrete, for paving options on the Regency site. The Stone Filled Grasscrete system was recommended and later approved by the owner and all of the involved permitting authorities as the most feasible, value-added pervious paving option.
Michigan has a rough/cold climate and Grasscrete can handle the freeze-thaw nature of it. The profile of the large void spaces in Grasscrete minimizes surface water freezing potential and any frost heave or other hydrostatic concerns.
Overall, Grasscrete is an aesthetically pleasing, “green” porous surface with a capability of generating LEED points. Grasscrete is designed for vehicle parking, access roads, emergency access, helipads, military installations and drainage channels applications.
