Masonry Magazine January 2009 Page. 28
HARDSCAPING >>> CASE STUDY
Pine Hall Brick Pavers
at Work
STORMPAVE PERMEABLE CLAY PAVERS HELPED IN BUILDING AN ENTIRELY GREEN HOUSE.
The goal was simple: Build a green house. Then it got more complicated: Build an entirely green house, from the foundation to the roof, inside and out. Build a structure that not only uses materials made from renewable and recycled resources, but also can help conserve water.
The Cliffs Cottage at Furman, built on the Furman University campus in Greenville, S.C., succeeded in meeting its goals. Now on exhibit for a year, the 3,400-square-foot residential home will eventually become the Furman University Center for Sustainability.
From the bamboo flooring to the solar panels in the roof, the house has all of the latest technological innovations in sustainable living. The commitment to environmentally sound design went even further, extending from the house itself to the landscaping, organic and formal gardens, and rainwater collection systems.
Scott Johnston, principal of Johnston Design Group, the architecture firm that oversaw the Cliffs Cottage design, says the basic goal was to make everything except the roof pervious to both absorb water and eliminate stormwater runoff.
A PERMEABLE SOLUTION
The answer was to use pervious paving surfaces, including StormPave permeable clay pavers from Pine Hall Brick.
"We wanted a warmer paving material than we could get out of pervious concrete or gravel," says Johnston. "And, this gave us a way to upgrade the finish in the front entry walk and a couple of terraces that are close to the house."