Of 21 residential, commercial and municipal designs honored in the Interlocking Concrete Pavement Institute’s 2015 HNA Hardscape Project Awards, the MEGA Snake and Ladder is among the most imaginative. The winning entry in the Concrete Paver – Commercial – More than 15,000 sq. ft. category serves as the centerpiece of a play area for upward of 4,000 students at a primary school in Abu Dhabi, U.A.E. The award went to Ducon Industries FZCO, supplier and installer.
MEGA Snake and Ladder serves as a starting point to the possibilities of executing other enlarged board games in concrete pavers. The project extends beyond the grid game to a general play area covered with stretched fabric that reflects the paver installation’s underlying theme. Shapes and curves overlapping a cubical structure pushed the boundaries of paver design while challenging skilled stone installers who needed the sharpest of saw blades.
Entries spanning pedestrian, parking area and primarily light traffic installations were judged on project intent, design, quality of construction and craftsmanship, compatibility with related materials and systems, innovation, detailing and overall design excellence. ICPI’s HNA Hardscape Project Awards program enters its ninth year in 2016, with call for entries open in May.
