Objectives
Located in the expansive Novant Cotswold Medical district on Randolph Rd. in Charlotte, N.C., a new office building designed to support a variety of medical services had some special considerations for their new parking lot: stormwater runoff on a space-limited site. The design plan needed to comply with stormwater quality and storage regulations, with sensitivity to businesses on the lower side of the property, as well as a residential neighborhood behind the building.
Solutions
“We were looking for a more cost-effective solution that could work just as efficiently as a large underground detention system,” said Kevin Caldwell, President of GeoScience Group. After conferring with Belgard’s commercial engineering team, he found the best option was to use permeable interlocking concrete pavers (PICP). “After providing a number of examples of similar projects where permeable pavers had been used, we moved ahead with the Belgard team, relying on their design and engineering knowledge of PICP systems. Overall, we saved the developer over $200,000 by using a permeable paver system,” he says.
Results
The end result is a nicer-looking parking lot that saved the developer significantly over a detention system in time, labor, and costs. “We had five inches of rain and passed the infiltration tests with flying colors—there was nothing leaving the discharge pipe,” says Caldwell. “This is the first permeable paver parking lot in the area and the developer is thrilled. He plans to use PICP for all future developed properties and parking lots.”
Team & Location
Owner: Novant Cotswold Medical
Designer: GeoScience Group
Producer: Belgard
Installer: Unit Paving of Charlotte