Masonry Magazine April 2004 Page. 73
AWARD-WINNING WORK, like the MCAA's International
Excellence in Masonry, isn't reserved just for buildings.
Two city paving projects - the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, and the Rainbow Harbor in Long Beach, Calif. - have won prestigious national awards. Both of these high-profile city developments had three important criteria to uphold: universal aesthetics, high durability and low-cost maintenance.
The decisions to beautify the Columbus downtown district and the Long Beach waterfront, and to use pavers in particular, were decided upon after considerable research and studies were made of similar projects in similar scenarios all over the United States. The feedback that they obtained was that, apart from the established cost savings benefits that were easily confirmed by doing lifecycle studies of paver installations, other more important benefits were obtained.
What they learned was that tremendous socio-economic benefits had accrued to those developers in particular and to the cities as a whole that used pavers. What happened was, by introducing decorative pavers, they created a whole new environment. Pavers not only provided attractive settings but, by up-scaling the whole neighborhood, they also changed the demographic mix of visitors. A whole new, higher-income group of tourists started visiting those districts and waterfront areas that may have previously been the haunt of a somewhat undesirable element.
In turn, owners of properties fronting these developments began to upgrade their own properties to reap better returns on what had previously been somewhat downscale investments. The net effect of these projects, and the hardscaping in particular, is that they have pavements that are built for posterity and should perform with the absolute minimum maintenance cost.
The Nationwide Arena
NATIONWIDE, a diversified insurance and financial services company, decided to realize a dream that had been on the minds of the City of Columbus for many years. This dream was to rebuild and revitalize a downtown district of Columbus, much of which consisted of neglected and abandoned buildings, including the landmark State Penitentiary.
As with many other cities, Columbus never had a downtown theater and restaurant district. Their idea was to create a sports arena surrounded by a downtown, urban village environment that would be linked by brick paved streets, sidewalks and pedestrian plazas. In addition to creating an extension of downtown Columbus, the goal was to establish a truly pedestrian-friendly environment through the use of the pavers, trees and street furniture.
WITH INCREASED DEMAND COMES
VARIETY AND OPTIONS
Masonry hardscaping products, such as pavers, fencing, retaining walls and outdoor rooms, are the latest trend that's sweeping the nation's residential backyards, and public retail and recreational areas. Consumers are starting to compare and see for themselves the versatility and long-lasting abilities of masonry in exterior applications. Why build with wood or other high-maintenance products when you can use masonry, sit back and enjoy it for years to come?
With this burgeoning consumer mentality and elevated sales in hardscaping products comes the increase In the varieties and options available. We've all seen the typical pavers that have been available for years, but a whole different type of pavers and accompanying accessories are hitting the stores to whet the appetites of consumers.
With its "traditional meets old world" style, one such variety is Pine Hall Brick Company's Rumbled pavers.
"The pavers are tumbled after they are fired to give them the 'Old World' look of a paver that's been around for hundreds of years," says Renee Lawson, Marketing Manager of Pine Hall in Winston-Salem, N.C. "Many home styles today are Mediterranean or European styles that require a paver that doesn't look new or manufactured. The rounded edges of the Rumbled pavers lends itself to this style."
And with an estimated life expectancy in excess of 100 years and surpassing ASTM specifications for strength and freeze/thaw durability, these pavers will more than satisfy customer expectations for longevity.
With much the same strength and durability as Pine Hall's Rumbled pavers, GeckoStone's line goes all the way to the other end of the style spectrum and reaches a completely different market.
GeckoStone® of Kula, Hawaii, manufactures tessellated - covering an entire plane with basically one repetitive geometric image - pavers that are unique to any others on the market. These fun products not only provide true Interlocking capabilities, but also do not require any border materials to keep them from walking away.
"Most interlocking pavers use the term incorrectly, as they are only inter relational - meaning they simply nest together not physically locked like Gecko Stones do," says John August, Owner and inventor of GeckoStone.
The interlocking shapes which include geckos, "hexacon" and frogs- not only keep the pavers on the right path, but also bring something fun and new to the world of pavers.
"Homeowners are absolutely bored with current concrete paver selection. I have literally thousands of letters/emails proclaiming such," states August. "The look of GeckoStone is unique and can be enhanced further by the use of colors, and the organic shapes blend easily with any landscaping."