A look at three of ICPI’s 2013 HNA Hardscape Project Award Winners

Edited by Cory Sekine-Pettite  |  Special thanks to the ICPI

At Masonry Design, we’re always on the lookout for beautiful, innovative, and unique projects to profile. And sometimes, in order to find those projects, we must take a step back and gaze toward our feet. Indeed, there are many hardscaping and paving projects worthy of praise, and with the 2014 HNA Hardscape Project Awards scheduled to be announced as we go to press with this issue, the editors thought it would be appropriate to take a look back at award-winning hardscape designs from 2013. We chose the following three projects for their exemplary design, their integration into their environments, and other attributes that earned these projects top honors from the Interlocking Concrete Pavement Institute (ICPI).

Smothers Park

The creation of a “people street” or festival street for the City of Owensboro, Ky., was a key component of the Smother’s Park project, which encompasses five blocks on the Ohio River. In addition to creating a safe place for pedestrians, the landscape architect needed to design and detail the street to sustain busy vehicular traffic, while complementing the newly created Smother’s Park. Clay brick pavers were selected early in the design process to fit the character of the downtown – as well as to stand the test of time.
One of the design challenges was creating a flood-resistant pavement. The bricks were detailed with a concrete base and sand bedding, while others were installed with bituminous bedding, a membrane, and the bricks.

	Award: Clay Brick – Commercial/Municipal – More than 15,000 sf Project Title: Smother’s Park and Riverfront Crossing Project Location: Owensboro, Ky. Square Feet of Project: 150,000 Contractor: Decorative Paving Main Product Manufacturer: The Belden Brick Company Project Designer: EDSA, Landscape Architect

Manatee Bridge

The City of Stuart, Fla., revitalized an important waterfront dining area using Designer Keith Pelan’s choice of vibrant colors and paver fan patterns that suggest ripples in the water. The contractor, Sunshine Land Design, solved challenges including installation of a decorative concrete ribbon right through the middle of the paver fan pattern. Construction involed taking precautions to not pollute the waterway below the bridge.

If you’ve ever had the pleasure of visiting Florida, then you know the state features many pedestrian bridges, and the local designers, engineers, and installers take great pride in their work. The colorful Belgard pavers used in the project fit right in to the coastal environment and architectural style of Stuart, yet they also draw the eye, which gently forces pedestrians to take notice of the intricate fan pattern and flowing concrete details carefully created by Kimley-Horn and Associates.

Award: Concrete Paver – Commercial/Industrial – 1,000 to 15,000 sf
Project Title: Manatee Bridge
Project Location: Stuart, Fla.
Square Feet of Project: 2,500
Contractor: Sunshine Land Design
Main Product Manufacturer: Belgard
Project Designer: Kimley-Horn and Associates

Packer Residence

The Packer Residence sits on a sloped, mountain side.  One drives up a curving drive to the entry level and is met by segmental walls and natural boulder walls that create an welcoming entry court. Guests receive a sense of arrival, and the owners have open usable space. On the entry level, one walks through a breezeway to view the expansive valley, as well as the relaxing fireplace and living area below. Walking down the stairway of natural slab cut stone, one enjoys a landscaped garden ending at the patio living area. To the left is a pool with an ample hardscaped deck large enough for a party or for just the intimacy of two. Separating, yet joining the two areas is the grill island, bar and pizza oven. On the other side of the living area and down a few steps are raised planters and a greenhouse. Leaving the fenced area, one can traverse a path of natural slab stone risers along which a waterfall flows down to a natural firepit area to view the lower front yard and property entrance. Walking trails connect this area with other wooded trails on the property and back up to the entry level.

“Our advice to a designer for a project of similar scale to The Packer Residence would be: Consider equally, both natural stone and concrete products for a large-scale project,” says Brendan Hoover, chief operating officer for PA Landscape Group Inc., the contractor on the project. “The two in combination can supply the best colors, textures and finishes. We believe that no one product line can provide all of these aspects in their entirety on a project of this scale.”

Award: Combination of hardscape products – Residential – More than 4,000 sf
Project Title: Packer Residence
Project Location: Harrisburg, Pa.
Square Feet of Project: 6,200
Contractor: PA Landscape Group, Inc.
Main Product Manufacturer: Techo-Bloc
Project Designer: PA Landscape Group, Inc.

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