Arizona Oasis

To resolve stormwater management issues and promote environmental stewardship, the Arizona Jewish Historical Society selected Drainscape Pervious Concrete

To resolve stormwater management issues and promote environmental stewardship, the Arizona Jewish Historical Society selected Drainscape Pervious Concrete for a parking lot at its Cutler Plotkin Jewish Heritage Center in Phoenix. Accordingly, Progressive Concrete Works Inc. (PCWI) installed a 9,350-sq.-ft. porous pavement that allows three to eight gallons of water, per square foot, per minute, to pass through the concrete.

Bolstering the project owner’s choice of Drainscape for the lot was its designation by the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design as a Best Management Practice for storm water pollution protection. As such, porous pavement can garner LEED points on virtually any construction project. Besides storm water management achieved as water drains through the slab, Drainscape also will help recharge the land naturally, improve the health of surrounding vegetation, help eliminate water pollution, and reduce heat buildup, known as the urban heat island effect, associated with traditional pavements.

Supplementing the environmental benefits of Drainscape are its economic advantages. Notes PCWI President Mike Riggs, The Cutler Plotkin Jewish Heritage Center project is a great example of how Drainscape can be a cost-effective solution for construction projects by eliminating the need for an expensive water retention basin on the property.

Moreover, PCWI is the only Arizona concrete subcontractor that offers National Ready Mixed Concrete Association-certified Drainscape installers. For the Cutler Plotkin project, the Progressive team placed 180 yd. of Cemex-supplied pervious mix using a pneumatic rolling Bunyan screed. Chemical admixtures introduced in proprietary proportions helped maintain a timely rate of flow and discharge. Subsequently, joints were positioned at 10 ft. to 15 ft. on center. Ten to 15 minutes after placement, the pervious mix was covered with precut plastic, which remained in place for 14 days as the concrete cured.

The complete installation comprises a 6-in.-thick layer of pervious pavement over six inches of #57 washed rock that serves as a drainage layer, necessitated by the consistency of Phoenix soil at the site. Adding aesthetics to functionality, Davis Colors’ Spanish Gold pigment accentuates the drop-off area.