Backyard Greenhouse with Pervious!
This just in:
A backyard greenhouse with a pervious concrete floor that lets in the sunshine and lets out the water! Check out the video below:
The backyard greenhouse will function as much as a plant habitat as a personal retreat. I understand a chair, and a reading light will go in there, so that the owners can enjoy the plants and sunshine even in the chillier winter months. That sure looks cozy! What do you think?
Sneak Peek of Boeddekker Park- A Tenderloin gem
The Grand Opening of Boeddeker Park is on December 10, 2014 from 1-4pm. The park is located in the Tenderloin at 246 Eddy Street in San Francisco.* Why are we so excited about this park? Because most of the hardscape is our Fine Grain Pervious Concrete! And it looks gorgeous!
We hope you swing by to check it out, either on the 10th or sometime after. It has exercise equipment for adults, play equipment for children and seating and grass for general playing. It is a lovely open oasis in the middle of the Tenderloin. For more information about this park click here to go tot he SF recreation department page on the celebration.
When it dries out a bit, we will be posting more photos, so come on back!
*Screen cap of a map below
Crazy Installations- a backhoe for your hard to reach places?
Perhaps it wasn’t the most efficient installation technique..... 
PIP-CAT Scans of Pervious Concrete
Dr. Neithalath’s presentation was on his research on the effect of mix design on pore structure and infiltration performance. Currently, the state of the art is rife with trial and error which ends up, at worse, with pavement failures, and best, an inconsistent mix. He wants to really understand how different aspects of the pervious concrete mix affect the different performance attributes. In this way, he wants to be able to dial in a pervious mix, with the exact attributes required for the ideal functioning of the installation.
The key feature of pervious concrete is the porosity, which we are all familiar with. Permeability is linearly related to porosity, and while that is obvious, it forms a helpful and fundamental baseline for 1 aspect of pervious concrete as a hardscape. Other aspects of pervious concrete are less well understood and they include types and seriousness of particle retention or clogging; oil retention, as some are considering pervious concrete as a bio-filter; strength and fracture, for structural considerations; as well as how mix design informs the size, type and structure of the voids. Dr. Neithalath is working to understand how all of these factors come together to form computational performance models for consistent designable pavements. In turn that would create a matrix of variable that could be controlled to create very precise mix designs for producers and installers.
My favorite part of Dr. Neithalath’s presentation was the video he presented of a pervious concrete cylinder in a CATscan, going all the way throughout, such that the void patterns were completely observable. Below you can see the video. I found the whole thing hypnotizing. What do you think?
To see more about Dr. Neithalath’s work, you can go to his faculty page here.
Pervious In Paradise - a summary look back
(‘View from the Hotel’ photo credit: Bob Banka)
Pervious in Paradise was a great conference. There were great presentations, solid attendance and wonderful networking! And every night, FIREWORKS!! Well, those might have been for the SeaWorld guests, who were adjacent to the conference site, but we enjoyed it nonetheless!
As we get materials and permission, we will be posting briefs on a few of the presentations. There were some fantastic new ideas, ongoing development of existing ideas and industry knowledge getting more refined. Highlights included
- pervious concrete site and pavement design with Michael Hein P.E. and Chris Estes, ASLA,
- notes from the Puget Sound with Andrew Marks P.E.,
- some truly innovative applications of pervious concrete with Muhannad Suleiman, Ph.D.,
- great modeling of voids and their implication with Narayanan Neithalath, Ph.D. P.E.
- discussions of fibers and silica fume with John Kevern Ph.D. P.E. LEED AP
There were many good speakers, and solid content throughout. More soon, and we are already looking forward to the next conference! Did you go? What did you think? Your comments are always appreciated!
Pervious in Paradise is coming up!
It is time again for the most glorious of the pervious concrete conferences - The NPCPA Pervious in Paradise! It is where many of the pervious concrete thinkers and doers get together to exchange ideas and enjoy a new beautiful location - this time in San Diego.
We are looking forward to it particularly as BAPC’s David Liguori will be discussing reinforced pervious concrete and how rebar is not ever an appropriate reinforcement technique for pervious concrete. You can see more of the speakers here. We invite you to join us > Click here to register!
To get you all more excited about the conference we have some of the photos from the last Pervious In Paradise here!
Polished Pervious Driveway with COLOR
Well, see for yourself-
What do you think? Do you like this look?
CSU East Bay has a new Concrete Testing Lab
David had taken some samples at a recent pour and wanted to get them tested. Fortunately, Cristian Gaedicke, Concrete Materials Professor at CSU East Bay, had a new lab with brand new equipment to try out. We headed over for a tour and a testing field trip. Below are some photos of our compression test. We also did a void and density test but I hadn’t started taking photos at that point. Below you will see Cristian sawing off the top of the samples, to make them flat for capping.
Next, we capped the 2 samples in sulfur, which makes them totally -perfectly- flat. That is also the way we have tested all of the rest of our samples, so we can keep our data consistent. The sulfur is heated in an industrial-type crock pot, under a hood for total ventilation. The green corner piece is the mold that sets the final edge so it is exactly at 90 degrees. 
David stirs the melting sulfur chips. Since the lab was pretty new, the sulfur pot hadn’t been used yet!
Once the 2 samples were capped, they were put into the crush test. This measures the PSI load of the sample. Below you can see the sample in the crushing machine. 
I am taking copious notes, while Cristian is making sure the machine works. 
David is also taking notes as the test is being set up.
David and Cristian compare notes, and discuss the results. They review the smashed cylinders, seeing the pattern and reviewing paste adhesion in this mix. 
David is very happy with the results!
You can see that both cylinders had very consistent crush pattern.
The whole crew, minus the photographer! 
White Hill Middle School Gets a Brand New Courtyard!
The finishing touches were just getting completed as teachers were prepping classrooms in anticipation of classes starting. It was very exciting!
We were able to get this fantastic design installed with the help of a dedicated team of design professionals. Joel Williams and Pauline Souza from WRNS Studios were invaluable as design advocates for pervious concrete from the beginning of the project. Mike Hastings, from Sherwood Engineering, was the civil on the project, and his collaboration and cooperation on the technical aspects enabled us keep momentum going. We look forward to working with both of these firms in the future, for more pervious concrete projects!!
And here is our favorite shot - a close up of the nice tidy finish, and the subtle color variations in the polished finish the school administrators were looking for.
More Photos of the Valley Oak Co-Housing Project
Tell us what you think! Do these look like livable hardscapes to you? Honestly, I just want to pet that puppy!
Commodore Park in San Jose is now ready for a Frisbee!
If you head out there, please send us photos of you enjoying the park! We will post them here!
UC Berkeley's newest path is pervious
This is where the path is adjacent to Optometry Lane.
Polished Fine Pervious Installed in Los Altos Hills!
What do you think? Do you have a good use for Polished Pervious Fine? Let us know in the comments below!
Sausalito Fairytale: Harrison Park
Have you been? What do you think? Let us know in the comments below:
Stormwater Sleuthing - Episode 2 - Palo Alto
What did you think? Do you have a Stormwater Sleuthing location (in the Bay Area) that you would like David to investigate the next time it rains? Let us know in the comments below or contact us here. Thanks!
USGBC Greener Builder - a fantastic conference!
There were good options for every panel, but as pervious concrete sub-contractors, we went to the subcontractor panel, hosted by John Home and Jeff Swinyer of Rudolph and Sletten, pictured below.
Lauren, pictured below, was interested in the drive toward clear performance specs to allow for differentiation at the sub-contractor level. As a pervious concrete subcontractor, we differentiate ourselves with our embrace of leading edge technologies for mix design and installation. Unfortunately, many current specs don’t reflect the progress in the installation, mix designs, equipment and curing materials that has developed in the last few years.
The next panel we attended discussed Environmental Product Disclosures (EPDs), a labeling system that discloses the resource footprint of the many materials that go into the built environment. The panel also included the next iteration, the Health Product Disclosures, which discloses the materials and chemicals that have been proven or correlated in causing health problems for humans.
Central Concrete, a sponsor of the event, has been heavily involved in the EPD project for disclosing the materials for the concrete industry. Below is a photo of the panelists from this panel.
The last panel of the day went over Net Zero Energy buildings with John Andary and Scott Shell, pictured below. It was a fascinating look at what is currently possible with technologies now: buildings that use as much energy as they make. The building case studies discussed also illustrated how livable and workable these spaces were, with thought for passive heating and cooling. Many of the designs features windows that bounced daylight far into the building envelope, as well as fresh air ventilation. It was a wonderful talk, even though their topics stayed primarily inside the building envelope.
The final speaker, Jason McLennan, pictured below, gave a wonderful talk on self limits. His talk really stood out for his candor and optimism. For a young guy, has accomplished quite a bit in the green building spaces. Currently he is pioneering the Living Building movement.
After his talk, Jason McLennan was joined by George Salah, of Google, and David Gottfried of the USGBC. They discussed everything from George’s living-building home construction project to Jason’s motivation to do the work that he does: “I give a shit.” That was wonderful.
FInally, after it was all over, we found that there was a fantastic array of beers, wine and snacks to round out the day’s networking. It was a great event, and one we will look forward to attending next year!
A BIG thank you to Charlie Nucci, who took these photos at the event. You can find more about Charlie and his work at his website here.
NRMCA Technician Training in Truckee- A Success!
Valley Oak Co-Housing in Sonoma
A fantastic new co-housing community in the City of Sonoma now has pervious concrete walkways throughout their development. Designers and architects chose Evolution Paving’s Architectural Fine Sidewalk mix for the pervious walkways in the new multi family residential neighborhood. This project features many ‘green’ details, from all of the hardscapes being pervious, to the radiant floor heating. Of course our favorite was the pervious concrete! The pervious concrete sidewalk mix was to be installed with curbs, so we used those as the forms.
This mix uses much smaller crushed aggregate, so the finished product features a smoother finish. In an attempt to mitigate costs, this pervious concrete was poured in composite lifts, 4” of 3/8 pervious concrete and 1” of the Architectural Fine Mix. It was an exciting challenge to logistically get it all in place - AND it turned out GREAT!
We worked with Evolution Paving out of Salem, Oregon, mixing the Architectural Fines Sidewalk mix, as well as a great mix collaboration with Shamrock Materials in Sonoma County for the 3/8 layer.
Pervious Concrete Technician Course offered in Truckee!
Water Conservation Showcase a success!
Our own Lauren Wray attended the USGBC and P&E’s Water Conservation Showcase this year. The Bay Area Pervious Concrete Booth was in this video, above, and photos of Wray and pervious concrete made it into PG&E’s “Currents”, a P&E news site. Check out the video and let us know your thoughts! Did you attend the Water Conservation Showcase this year?
The Rational Method and Pervious Concrete
The Rational Method is used by many storm water civil engineers to understand storm water runoff. Frequently it is being invoked to understand the impacts of pervious concrete. Frankly, the Rational Method has no place designing with pervious, and this is what we are going to discuss.
The simplest reason being, the Rational Method is there the allow engineers to size the necessary sewer line appropriate to the runoff on the site. However, when pervious concrete is well designed and installed for most or all of the parking or access areas, there will be no runoff from that area. It is even possible, pending some limitations**, to capture most if not all of the adjacent runoff from impervious roofs or other impervious. That would make the runoff coefficient 0 or even negative. Given that, Q becomes zero, or less then zero. At that point, no drain pipe is needed to carry away the storm water, and the Rational Method is not the appropriate method for quantifying storm water.
This hints at the total shift that is before us - the way we previously understood hardscape and the associated negative externalities (runoff, storm water pollution, heat island effect, aquifer depletion) is turned on its head. Now these previous negative externalities are accounted for and reversed, and we are able to maintain the preferred hard & durable surface with pervious concrete. Pervious concrete allows storm water and pollution to filter in and infiltrate, allowing microbes and soil to be the filter that they are for the rest of nature. Pervious concrete mitigates the heat island effect in 2 ways, having a high solar reflectivity index as well as allowing a water and air exchange between the soil below and air above the pavement.
But given that codes are still being written, and some building and design professionals do not know about pervious concrete and its benefits we must still use the Rational Method. So I propose a stand-in coefficient.
To review the Rational Method for those of you who don't use this equation frequently,
Q = the necessary size of the pipe to capture the runoff being generated by C, I and A.
A = The area whose runoff is being measured.
I = The rate of rainfall in a given time horizon.
C = The coefficient that is determined by the type of ground covering being measured, below you can see one version of the chart referenced.
As you can see in the above chart, [impervious] paved surfaces gave a runoff coefficient of 0.94 for the 5-year storm event. Toward the bottom of this chart, "Lawn" and "Parks/Golf Courses/Cemeteries, 8% impervious" have a runoff coefficient of 0.21.
As far as I know, there is no such coefficient for pervious concrete to be used in the Rational Method. On the one hand, it isn't really necessary, as infiltration hardscapes may make the Rational Method less necessary. Or, perhaps the Rational Method will be adapted to vet and verify successful implementations of LID measures. In the meantime, it seems that a stand-in number is necessary - what if we were to use the "Parks/Golf Courses/Cemeteries, 8% impervious" 0.21 as a reference, and then include the >0.21, as it is less then 0.21, however it is unknown how much less at this point, for research has not yet been completed.
What do you think? Is this a reasonable way to discuss the Rational Method and pervious concrete?
** The limiting factor when dealing with pervious concrete is the subbase soil’s infiltration rate. Given enough area and enough reservoir base, it is possible to infiltrate a serious storm.
To chat directly with the author of this post, you can email me at Lauren@BayAreaPerviousConcrete.com
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Sources: chart http://www.iowadot.gov/design/dmanual/04a-05.pdf
conversation and cocktail napkin - inspiration to post
Pervious Patios at the Hyatt Regency
The Hyatt wanted a new look and feel for two areas on either side of a walkway that connected the north entrance and the parking garage. They wanted to rip out the existing plants and replace it with a usable patio space. They also wanted pervious concrete - so they called us!
We came in and removed the existing plants and material, making room for the drain rock base and the pervious concrete.
After we installed the Polished Pervious® concrete, we scored it, completing the look. The Hyatt put out this sleek and modern furniture, turning this previously unusable corner into a nice place to take a break! Below is the larger area, to the east of the pathway. Beneath that is the smaller area, to the west.
If you have a before and after job for us, let us know- contact us or leave a comment below!
Stormwater Sleuthing - Episode 1
What did you think? Do you have a Stormwater Sleuthing location (in the Bay Area) that you would like David to investigate the next time it rains? Let us know in the comments below or contact us here. Thanks!
I Spy Videos and Pervious Concrete
We have created an ISPY video on the World's Longest Driveway! Can you find all of the items listed below? Feel free to send this link to the keenest eyes you know. Use the full screen option, to catch all the great details! It took me 3 tries to catch everything - how many did it take you? A list of the items is below the video.
Egg carton, Buzz Lightyear toy, V8 bottle, Clipboard, Rubber rat, Hammer, Talking lizards, Santa hat, Manila envelope, Wall-E figurine, Hackeysack, Tennis shoe, Hardshell glasses case, Blonde doll in a pink dress (polly pocket), Rubber chicken, Stack of CDs, Newspaper, Pliers, Roll of tape, Magnifying glass, Padlock and key, The Lost World paperback book, Stuffed animal monkey, Spray bottle & Bar Simpson doll
How many objects did you catch the first time?
Pervious Concrete Protects Trees!
Normally, it is inadvisable to pave inside the drip line* of a tree. Depending on the size and age of a tree that can be a fairly sizable area. This can be problematic when traffic or use requires paving close to the tree. When traditional impervious pavements are installed near older established trees, it can spell the end of the tree. Is that true of pervious concrete?
It turns out there are two students at Texas A&M are doing this very research! Their recent work reveals pervious concrete does, in fact, enhance the growing conditions of established trees relative to traditional concrete. They poured traditional concrete around a few established trees, pervious concrete around a few established trees and left a few trees with no cover for the control, and measured tree health for a little over a year. The results: the trees surrounded by the pervious concrete had more trunk growth during the year then the trees surrounded by the traditional concrete!
What does this mean for you? The good news is that you can integrate pervious concrete paving into plant friendly parking lots and hardscape design, knowing that you are not compromising tree health. This also may open previously impossible parking or other paving possibilities due to the ability to extend the pervious concrete closer to the tree, well within the drip line. Yes, it can make installation tricky, but it can be done!
The takeaway is that pervious concrete is great for protecting mature trees. As you can see above, our clients think so too!
*If you are like me, you may have never heard of a tree's drip line before. The drip line refers to the outermost point of the tree's canopy where rain water runoff drips onto the ground below. With a large tree, that may extend many feet out from the trunk. Here is where I found this out.
Volder, A. & Watson, T. (in preparation). "Effect of porous concrete on diameter growth and gas exchange of mature American sweetgum (Liquidamber styraciflua) trees".
More Pervious Concrete in New Jersey Thanks to Assembly Member Rumana
From the article:
“The bill, A-1912, would require any state agency to use pervious concrete “wherever appropriate” including access roads, pathways, roadways and parking lots. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection would be charged with adopting criteria for the use of pervious concrete on state projects.”
We, here at Bay Area Pervious Concrete, completely agree with State Assemblymember Rumana! By properly planning with and installing pervious concrete well will save construction costs, reduce storm water runoff and reduce storm water pollution! Contact us for more information, and please click here for the great article featuring State Assemblymember Rumana!
Pervious Concrete at Capp Plaza!
This time for the Capp Street Plaza, near the Mission Street and Cesar Chavez intersection. Someday soon more pervious concrete will be in San Francisco! If you would like a bid, or more information on the project, please contact us soon! Bids are due tomorrow at 2:30pm!
Bay Area Pervious Concrete
650 273 6073
questions at bayareaperviousconcrete dot com
The Greenest Mix - Pervious Concrete can get GREENER!
Guest post, written by David Liguori
I wanted to give you a quick update on one of the more significant developments we’ve achieved lately.
In our continuing quest to further improve the performance of pervious concrete we have developed an “ultra-green” mix design for which we have recently received test data. The mix contains only 245 lbs. of cement, vs. 5-600 lbs. for regular concrete, and 245 lbs. of supplementary cementitious materials (scm). The scm consists of a combination of fly ash and slag, both industrial waste products.
We used this mix this past January on a 2,000 ft. long (by 10’ wide) driveway in Palo Alto(photo above) and 3 months ago on a 5,000 sqft. driveway in Los Altos Hills (photo below). They are both performing quite impressively. Absolutely no surface raveling, all of which typically takes place in the first month or two if it’s going to happen, water infiltration rates of 700-1,200” per hour and compressive strengths above 3,000 psi.
As I am sure you know the addition of the scm’s slows down the rate of early strength gains but ultimately results in higher overall strength. In the case of the ultra-green mix our 28 day numbers are in the 2,600 – 2,900 psi range and to our delight the recent 90 day test came in at an outstanding 3,520psi. These type of results and data continue to increase our confidence in pervious concrete as viable long term stormwater management solution.
If you would like more details, contact us here and we will get in touch!
This is the video from the longest (and greenest) pervious concrete driveway in the world!
Bunyan Pervious Roast 2012 - hot days in the desert!
Out in the Nevada desert, outside of the Vegas we know is a far dustier affair known as the Pervious Roast. Dave Mitchell and team put together a spectacular 3+ days of speakers, pervious pours and food, which by all accounts was very informative and fun.
Our own David Liguori spoke at an un-scheduled moment to go over what goods and the not-so-good installations look and sound like. The video will be posted in an upcoming blog post. There were also presentations from Scott Erickson of Evolution Paving, and Jereme Montgomery.
BAPC's Rob Estrada was able to snag a picture with Matt Offenberg, of bell-ringing fame. You can see how glad they are to head into the (air conditioned) NRMCA meeting.
~ Update: Lauren Wray
- Photo Credits: Robert Estrada, David Liguori, Lauren Wray
We install GraniteCrete!
Have you heard about GraniteCrete? GraniteCrete has the natural look and feel of decomposed granite or crushed rock but it holds up with the strength and durability of cementitious material. GraniteCrete is porous, and so has stormwater management and heat island benefits. We recently installed some GraniteCrete in the Golden Gate Bridge visitor area, see pictures above and below. If you have an application of GraniteCrete where you would like a certified installer to give you an estimate, contact us!
Architectural Fine Grain Pervious Concrete in San Francisco!
Great news! Currently the City of San Francisco is considering installing some Architectural Fine Grain Pervious Concrete as a part of the Folsom Streetscape Improvement Project. While it isn't installed yet, it will be * hopefully! * in the next year. While it is specified, the Architectural Fine Grain Pervious Concrete is an alternate design but we are bidding it for a few contractors. If you know any other contractors who need a bid for the Folsom Streetscape Improvement Project let us know! We are uniquely qualified as we are NRMCA certified Pervious Concrete Installers and well versed in Evolution Paving's Architectural Fine Grain Pervious Concrete. If you are interested in seeing it on the ground, Lyngso has a sample in their yard, it looks nice! If you want to see some of our decorative work, you can see it here.
Pervious in Paradise 2012
Bay Area Pervious Concrete went to the US Virgin Islands for the Pervious in Paradise conference. David Liguori attended, because well, someone had to!
It was a great meeting with a small group with most of the attendees presenting content over the 2 days of speaker and 2 days of break outs. David presented on the Bay Are Pervious Concrete decorative finishes. We have a downloadable deck of our decorative finishes here.
The final day everyone gathered at a local school to pour a driveway with a local contractor. The concrete truck had to take a ferry to get to the island from the batch plant an island over. The mix was 2 hours old before it even arrived on the site! Fortunately, we had had many, many qualified folks to help offer guidance, work, shovel and supervise.
See you next time!
Tweet comments with @BayAreaPervious and @NPCPA #PerviousinParadise
Did you say Decorative Pervious Concrete?
Let us know what you think on Twitter @BayAreaPervious
A new parking lot at the Beth Abraham Temple
Monday we poured pervious concrete in the parking lot of the Temple Beth Abraham. Above is the finished first of 2 slabs. Below you can see the pervious pavers and pea gravel they had installed before:
And here is the after:
As you can see there is still a drainage system, an artifact from the previous installation. It gets an early retirement, and the water will now infiltrate back into the native soil. And in the below, you can see our truck!
Our most recent pour: Los Altos Hills
Location: Los Altos Hills
Size: 103 yards
Job: pervious concrete, with decorative finish to be completed in 2 weeks
walkway, driveway, hardscape as part of full remodel
It was a gorgeous day to be completing the pour in Los Altos Hills Monday. Here you can see our crew carefully finishing the pour. The last of the concrete heading to the curb of this almost complete remodel, just before the last of it was covered in plastic while it cures.
We will be posting more pictures of the finished job in the coming weeks. Check back soon! In the meantime, if you would like a free estimate, contact us today!
Pervious concrete has an industry magazine!
Check out the most recent thinking about pervious concrete across the United States with great photos, articles and advertisements from local pervious experts in your area. PerviousPro is the brainchild of Dale Fisher and the people over at the NPCPA - the National Pervious Concrete Pavement Association. We even have an article written by Bay Area Pervious Concrete's own Lauren Wray.
Check out this issue here:
http://viewer.epaperflip.com/Viewer.aspx?docid=85d951d5-33b1-47c8-b174-a05200d37fc9
Let us know what you think!
4 Layers for Stormwater Management
We at Bay Area Pervious Concrete have come a long way towards developing the Pervious Concrete as a viable Stormwater Management System. Going through this diagram, you can see where the water goes -- one of our most frequently asked questions.
Starting at the bottom-SOIL
We do soil infiltration tests before our jobs so we can understand how fast the water will soak in, underneath the pervious concrete. Once we understand the infiltration rates and soil composition, we can engineer the appropriate depths to excavate for the next layer, the drain rock.
Before we lay the drain rock we sometimes will lay a layer of GEOTECH Fabric, which adds a helpful barrier against some less porous soil types. We determine the need for this during the soil composition and infiltration tests.
Now for the DRAIN ROCK!
Drain rock is laid several to many inches thick, depending on the rain event to be captured, the soil type below, and how much impervious surface is draining into this slab. It is a very specific type of drain rock, not the typical base used under concrete which is impervious - we want to maintain about 40% air space to both allow water to pass through and give it place to "hang out" if the soil has a slow infiltration rate.
Finally the PERVIOUS CONCRETE
The pervious concrete is then laid on top of the drain rock, screeded and rolled into place and covered in plastic, where it will cure for at least a week.
Redwood Avenue - Driveway
The client had flooding in the back and front of the house due to an uneven grade of the lot and excessive roof runoff.
Why Pervious Concrete?
He initially wanted a pervious concrete driveway because of impervious ground cover limitations in his city.
The Solution:
We designed a pervious concrete driveway and side yard that is also the retention pond for all of the roof and yard runoff.The pervious concrete water retention system captures 100% of their runoff from the roof AND the lot. They now have a dry front yard, back yard and they can grill just off the kitchen without puddles!
