Porous Pavement

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While most people aren’t thinking about flooding in the middle of August, that’s exactly what New York City officials were thinking about last month, when they announced that they had started the city’s first major porous pavement installation in Brooklyn.

Flooding is a major concern for many urban areas, especially with the increasing frequency of extreme weather events due to climate change, so New York is following several other major cities by investing in an innovative solution to this problem: porous pavement.

This environmentally friendly paving option offers numerous benefits, including improved stormwater management and reduced flooding risk. And since it combines two of Steadfast’s favorite things (technology and sustainability) we wanted to learn all about what it is, what it’s made of, how it works, and where it has been successfully implemented.

What is Porous Pavement?

Porous pavement, also known as permeable pavement, is a type of pavement designed to allow water to pass through it, reducing runoff and promoting natural groundwater recharge. Unlike traditional impervious surfaces like concrete or asphalt, porous pavement features a network of voids or pores that enable water to seep through the surface and into the underlying soil.

Composition of Porous Pavement

Porous pavement is typically made from a mix of materials designed to create a durable, yet permeable, surface. Common materials used in the construction of porous pavement include:

Porous Asphalt: Similar to traditional asphalt but with reduced fines (small particles), allowing for larger void spaces.

Pervious Concrete: Made with larger aggregate sizes and less sand, creating a network of interconnected voids.

Permeable Interlocking Concrete Pavers (PICP): Concrete blocks designed with gaps between them to allow water infiltration.

Porous Turf: Reinforced grass or turf systems that allow water to percolate through the soil.

How Porous Pavement Works

Porous pavement works by allowing rainwater to infiltrate through its surface, reducing the volume of runoff that typically flows into storm drains and waterways. Here’s a step-by-step look at how it functions:
Infiltration: Rainwater hits the porous pavement surface and begins to infiltrate through the interconnected voids.

Filtration: As the water moves through the pavement layers, it is filtered by the aggregate materials, which can trap pollutants and sediments.

Storage: The water is temporarily stored in the base and sub-base layers of the pavement, which are often designed with high porosity to hold significant volumes of water.

Gradual Release: The stored water slowly infiltrates into the underlying soil or is directed to a stormwater management system, reducing the immediate impact of heavy rainfall and preventing flooding.

Benefits of Porous Pavement

Flood Prevention: By allowing water to infiltrate into the ground, porous pavement reduces surface runoff and mitigates the risk of flooding.

Water Quality Improvement: The filtration process helps remove pollutants from stormwater, improving the quality of water that reaches natural water bodies.

Groundwater Recharge: Using porous pavement promotes the natural replenishment of groundwater, which is crucial for maintaining local water supplies.

Heat Island Effect Reduction: Porous pavement can help lower surface temperatures in urban areas by allowing air and moisture to flow through the pavement.

Sustainable Urban Design: Integrating porous pavement into urban planning supports sustainable development and resilience against climate change.

Examples of Successful Implementation

While July’s introduction of porous pavement to Brooklyn was New York’s first large installation, they join a long list of major cities who have also used it to fix urban flooding:

Chicago, Illinois

The city of Chicago has embraced porous pavement in various projects. For instance, the Green Alley Program retrofitted alleys with permeable materials to reduce stormwater runoff and improve water quality. These green alleys have significantly decreased localized flooding and enhanced the urban environment.

Seattle, Washington

Known for near-constant rain in the winter, Seattle has implemented porous pavement in several of its green infrastructure initiatives. The SEA Streets project, for example, replaced traditional street surfaces with permeable alternatives, resulting in a 98% reduction in stormwater runoff. This project has served as a model for other cities looking to incorporate sustainable stormwater solutions.

Atlanta, Georgia

The city of Atlanta has used porous pavement in various park and recreational area projects. The Historic Fourth Ward Park features permeable pathways and parking areas that help manage stormwater. This approach has not only reduced flooding but also created a more enjoyable and environmentally friendly public space.

Porous pavement is a sustainable and effective solution for managing stormwater and preventing flooding in urban areas. By allowing water to infiltrate through its surface, it reduces runoff, improves water quality, and promotes groundwater recharge.

Cities like Chicago, Seattle, Atlanta, and now New York have successfully implemented porous pavement in various projects, demonstrating its potential to enhance urban resilience and sustainability. As climate change continues to pose challenges, adopting innovative solutions like porous pavement will be crucial in creating more resilient and livable communities.

Are you excited about new technologies that promote sustainability? Then you’ve come to the right place! At Steadfast Entities we’re proud to offer state-of-the art equipment from generators to earth moving equipment that can help you complete your next project quickly and efficiently.

Graphene

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If you follow our blog, you know we love green materials that make construction more sustainable. That’s why we’re excited to see graphene now entering foreign markets. We can’t wait to see how this incredible component will be used to make our buildings more sustainable, in 2023 and beyond.

What is it?

Graphene is a “one-atom-thick layer of carbon atoms arranged in a hexagonal lattice.” Andréy Gueim and Konstantín Novosiólov won the Nobel Prize in Physics for its creation in 2010. It might sound familiar because it is the base of graphite (used in pencil lead), but its many properties are being explored as a new wonder material across a wide variety of industries. Possible applications include computer chips, batteries, transistors, water filters, touch screens, and even DNA sequencing. 

How is it being used in construction?

Although graphene is still in the research stage in the US, the results have been promising for its many uses throughout the construction industry. It’s the world’s thinnest material, yet it’s incredibly durable. It has antibacterial properties, a low freezing point, is twice as strong as steel, has light absorbing qualities, and is highly conductive. 

These features make it perfect for creating graphene-infused composites, which would be a green alternative for concrete, one of the least sustainable yet most commonly used building materials.

Some of these specific properties would make graphene an excellent choice for specific types of buildings. Its antibacterial qualities are making waves in the hospital industry, its conductive qualities are sparking the interest of smart city engineers, and its unique mix of flexibility and durability makes it well-suited for buildings that experience extreme winds and temperatures. 

Graphene also has potential applications in tunnel construction, dykes, bridges, harbors, industrial plants, and sea construction, where exposure to the elements and/or chemicals regularly breaks down concrete. 

How will it be used?

Instead of sheets or blocks, the easiest and most effective way to use graphene currently is as a liquid-based additive. This additive is combined with current cement or concrete mixtures, acting as a filter that absorbs chemicals, refines the pore structure of the concrete, and makes it more durable. 

When will we see it on the market? 

While additives are available in some countries, researchers are still testing and developing it for the U.S. While we may have to wait a little longer, current research is very promising and exciting. Soon graphene may be used in self-healing, self-cleaning, self-adjusting, self-shaping, self-curing, and self-sensing building materials. We are looking forward to its arrival, and the many ways it will make the industry more sustainable!

Green Construction Tech Coming in 2023

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At Steadfast Entities, we’ve seen the many benefits of Green Construction, aka, using technologies and processes that are environmentally responsible and resource efficient. Beyond being better for the planet, in many cases it saves both us and our clients money. We’re not the only ones, either: many industries are finding new materials, processes and technologies to become more sustainable. 

Green Tech at Work

Green Building Technology has two main goals: to reduce waste and to more efficiently use naturally occurring resources. We’ve told you about recycled asphalt and concrete that held up even better to harsh conditions, but that is just one of many ways construction engineers are eliminating waste. 

Butts in Bricks

In 2020, researchers at the School of Engineering at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) released a paper outlining a step-by-step process for using cigarette butts in brickmaking. Since cement production is responsible for 8% of global greenhouse gas production, and about 6.5 trillion cigarette butts are discarded every year, these bricks would be a great way to decrease the carbon footprint and reduce the amount of litter found on our streets, beaches, and green spaces. 

Rockin’ Cement

Many industrial processes result in steel dust or ferrous rock, which would typically be sent to a landfill. However, thanks to scientist David Stone’s new technology they are instead being turned into another cement alternative called Ferrock. Ferrock is not only stronger, more flexible, and cheaper to make than traditional cement, but it is also carbon-negative, which means it absorbs CO2 from the atmosphere. The University of Arizona tested Ferrok and is in the process of commercializing its patent to make it available for general use. 

Nature’s Tools

Other materials are also getting a sustainability makeover. New manufacturing processes are being used to create materials like insulation, carpeting, and paint with fewer volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The changes to processes are often less expensive for the manufacturer (for example, using water instead of a chemical solvent or using refillable instead of one-use containers), which in turn can save money for purchasers down the line. 

There has also been an industry-wide movement to use naturally occurring resources more efficiently. Last month we told you about the new use of algae to make concrete and in some places sheep’s wool is also replacing fiberglass insulation. This swap is shown to increase energy efficiency and make homes more soundproof. 

Even plain old wood is getting a makeover. Liangbing Hu, a materials scientist at the University of Maryland, Brooklyn Park, has led his colleagues in using simple chemical processes to change the nanostructure of wood to make it as strong as steel, transparent, bouncy, and moldable. The University is trying various commercial applications for this “super wood”, and it’s expected to be used in various materials throughout the construction industry. 

It’s an exciting time to be in construction, with new products and technologies coming onto the market daily. We can’t wait to see what comes next and are proud to be part of an industry that is blazing the trail into a more sustainable and efficient future!