The City of Medford, Oregon was looking to revitalize a section of it’s downtown area that was occupied by several used car lots, warehouses, and auto repair shops. After soliciting input from the general public, local businesses and the City’s Redevelopment Agency, the preferred design option was a central plaza called The Commons. This was to be a three-block long linear open space that would be able to host civic functions, such as festivals and concerts, as well as provide green space to be enjoyed by the public. This also development included a corporate anchor where Lithia Motors would house their headquarters.
The urban planning firm of Crandall Arambula was hired to design the plaza and make the vision a reality. They helped to facilitate public involvement, preliminary cost estimates, conceptual designs, and other analysis.
The project was designed with sustainability in mind, so the community would benefit from the functionality of the products sourced for construction. A major part of this was the use of permeable interlocking concrete pavers for the entire pedestrian surface. Crandall Arambula specified Eco-Priora from Mutual Materials, incorporating both 4 x 8 and 8 x 8 pavers, in two colors; Gray and Charcoal to provide a visual appeal.
Eco-Priora, and other permeable pavers, function by allowing stormwater to go directly into the ground, where a filtration system captures all the pollutants that would normally be carried by runoff into local sewer systems and eventually end up in surrounding waterways. For a more complete understanding of how interlocking concrete pavements work check out our blog, Introduction to Permeable Concrete Paving.
For a more in-depth understanding of permeable pavers the Interlocking Concrete Pavements Institute (ICPI) put together some case studies detailing how permeable pavers were used to solve various problems encountered by municipalities and developers.
The permeable pavers were installed by Eastern States Paving, who did an excellent job of bringing the plaza to completion.
If you’re interested in learning more about how permeable pavers can help address stormwater management issues you face, please contact us at 1-888-688-8250 to speak with an hardscape sales representative.
Resources:
Citations:
Find locations for Mutual Materials branch stores here.
