Nature Discovery Center Solves its Park Path Problems with Porous Pave

Replacing Pavers with Porous Pave XL Permeable Pavement Eliminates Flooding at Nature Discovery Center in Bellaire, Texas
 
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Nature Discovery Center's New Permeable Path Paved with Porous Pave XL
Nature Discovery Center's New Permeable Path Paved with Porous Pave XL
GRANT, Mich. & BELLAIRE, Texas - May 11, 2017 - PRLog -- The Nature Discovery Center installed a new permeable paved path with 2,500 square feet of Porous Pave XL. Located in Bellaire, Texas, the Nature Discovery Center is a four-acre park where visitors can experience a personal connection with nature amid the vast urban area of Houston. An eco-friendly green building product manufactured in the U.S.A., Porous Pave XL is a highly porous and durable pour-in-place paving material made from 50 percent recycled rubber chips and 50 percent kiln-dried aggregate mixed with a liquid binder.

Piper Whitney Construction, LLC (Houston, Texas) specializes in permeable paving and green hardscape solutions. They installed the new path, elevated 1-2 inches above the surrounding ground, with 1.5 inches of Porous Pave XL batch mixed on site and poured in place atop a three-inch base of compacted #57 granite aggregate.

"The Porous Pave path ensures that there is no standing water after it rains," said Michael Bratton, chief operating officer, Piper Whitney Construction, LLC. "It also gives park goers a new, more interesting, and more natural view of the park."



"Flooding made our paver path unsafe and unusable, a problem we had to solve," said Henry Owen, executive director, Nature Discovery Center. "The necessity of building a new permeable path gave us the opportunity to re-design it with more naturalistic curves, winding between four distinct habitat areas."

Rainstorms covered the impervious concrete pavers on the old path with four inches of water. Water passes through the pervious surface of Porous Pave at a rate of 5,800 - 6,300 gallons per hour per square foot, allowing stormwater to percolate down through the base below. Funded by a donation from the Robert L. Cook Charitable Fund, the new Porous Pave path curves though Pocket Prairie, Deciduous Woodland, Prairie Wetland, and Cypress Pond habitat zones, restored and improved by Resource Environmental Solutions (RES), which donated their services.

Before selecting Porous Pave, supplied regionally by GeoSolutions, Inc. (Austin, Texas), the Nature Discovery Center and Piper Whitney considered several permeable paving options. Stormwater infiltration performance, cost, protecting the landscape during construction, and appearance were important considerations.

"Our site was once a pecan orchard. We have 80-90-year-old pecan trees to protect," said Owen. "With Porous Pave, there are no big trucks or heavy equipment, and the extent and depth of the required excavation were minimal."

"The installation was relatively non-intrusive, and the path is now useable and safe right after it rains," said Bratton. "Porous Pave pours in place, making it easy to shape the path's curves. The color we chose complements the granite trails in other parts of the nature park."

Nature Discovery Center

Founded in 1988, the Hana and Arthur Ginzbarg Nature Discovery Center (Bellaire, Texas) sparks interest in nature and science through high-quality educational programming for people of all ages at our four-acre outdoor classroom, the Russ Pitman Park. Our 501(c)(3) organization invites visitors to develop life-long curiosity, understanding, and respect for nature by developing personal connections to the natural world, nourished by outdoor experience and informed by education. Visitors can experience and learn about Pocket Prairie, Deciduous Woodland, Prairie Wetland, and Cypress Pond habitats. The Center also features a pecan grove, a natural play area, and an aviary and outdoor critter classroom. Begin to discover the Nature Discovery Center at www.naturediscoverycenter.org.

Piper Whitney Construction, LLC

Piper Whitney Construction (PWC) is a family owned business in Houston, Texas, which had its start over 25 years ago in the outdoor living experience industry. PWC is a culmination of moving towards great customer relationships with a focus on permeable paving and stormwater detention as a direct response to customers seeking a wider range of options, repairs and upgrades. PWC has a long history of providing exceptional customer service from inception to completed installation. Our greatest achievement is the recommendations given by so many of our wonderful customers. Find out more at www.piperwhitney.com.

Porous Pave, Inc.

Porous Pave, Inc. (Grant, Mich.) manufactures Porous Pave, a highly porous, durable and flexible surfacing material consisting of recycled rubber, aggregate and a liquid binding agent. An eco-friendly green building product made in the U.S.A., Porous Pave is the proven pour-in-place permeable paving solution that offers superior permeability for stormwater retention, exceptional versatility, and demonstrated durability. Resilient and slip resistant, Porous Pave conforms to any landscape design and is easy to install on grades up to 30 degrees. For examples of successful applications, visit www.porouspaveinc.com. Stay up to date with Porous Pave on LinkedIn.

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