Porous Paving

Porous pavers Also called pervious or permeable, porous paving allows rainwater to infiltrate into the ground. Although some porous pavement types are not new, pavements that are engineered to allow infiltration while also withstanding regular vehicle traffic are a more recent innovation. Porous paving can cost more than conventional paving on a unit basis, but projects can realize big cost savings and smooth over the permitting process by reducing the need for complex stormwater infrastructure like retention ponds.

Engineered subsurface

The effectiveness of porous pavement depends on a subsurface that can absorb water. This system of multiple layers, which is usually deeper and more carefully engineered than the average roadbed, provides reservoir capacity for stormwater.

Working with experienced designers and contractors is key. Proper maintenance is also essential to keeping porous pavement functioning. Sand and salt applications should be avoided, for example, unfortunately limiting the suitability of this otherwise versatile strategy in many cold-climate applications.

Stormwater, landscape benefits, and more

By stopping stormwater from pooling and flowing away, porous...

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3 Comments

Jim Newman Principal Linnean Solutions
Oct 30 2009

Member: Porous Pavements book

15

Vote up!

Bruce Ferguson has written a comprehensive book on this subject. Here is the review on BuildingGreen.com with a link to Amazon.
http://www.buildinggreen.com/auth/article.cfm/2005/8/1/Porous-Pavements/

Shriram Bhide
Oct 30 2009

Guest

250 Thumbs Up: Porous Pavement

16

Vote up!

Need to know approximate installed costs in DC area per SF for the following:
Regular 1" thick black top paving:
4" thick Concrete sidewalk paving:
Porous paving:

Kevin Earley Director of Commercial Sales Nicolock Paving Stones & Retaining Walls
Aug 12 2009

Guest

16 Thumbs Up

Porous Pavements - Permeable Interlocking Concrete Pavement

The Interlocking Concrete Pavement Institute (ICPI) has a lot of good information on permeable pavements. Go to: http://www.icpi.org/design/permeable_pavers.cfm
Take a look at the downloadable Permeable Pavement Fact Sheets

Also, many of these papers are light-colored and have been tested for SRIThe solar reflectance index (SRI) is a measure of a material's ability to reject solar heat, as shown by a small temperature rise. Standard black (reflectance 0.05, emittance 0.90) is 0 and standard white (reflectance 0.80, emittance 0.90) is 100. For example, a standard black surface has a temperature rise of 90_F (50_C) in full sun, and a standard white surface has a temperature rise of 14.6_F (8.1_C). Once the maximum temperature rise of a given material has been computed, the SRI can be calculated by interpolating between the values for white and black. Materials with the highest SRI values are the coolest choices for paving. Because of the way SRI is defined, particularly hot materials can even take slightly negative values, and particularly cool materials can even exceed 100. and can contribute to heat island effectHeat island effect refers to the absorption of heat by hardscapes, such as dark, nonreflective pavement and buildings, and its radiation to surrounding areas. Particularly in urban areas, other sources may include vehicle exhaust, air-conditioners, and street equipment; reduced airflow from tall buildings and narrow streets exacerbates the effect. nonroof (SS7.1)