Hardscape North America Awards Fred Adams Paving with the Combination Commercial Project Award
Source: Interlocking Concrete Pavement Magazine
- Award Category: Combination Commercial Winner (1,000 sq. ft. to 20,000 sq. ft.)
- Project: North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Raleigh
- Designer: O’Brien Atkins Architecture,Durham, North Carolina
- Contractor: Brassfield & Gorrie, Raleigh; Fred Adams Paving, Morrisville, North Carolina
- Paver supplier: Belgard, Raleigh
The NC Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is the lead stewardship agency for the preservation and protection of North Carolina’s outstanding natural resources. Located in downtown Raleigh, the two-block, multi-use, urban development houses NC DENR Headquarters (150,000 sf) and the NC Museum of Natural Sciences’ Nature Research Center (79,400 sf) as well as a 426 space underground parking deck.
An initial construction obstacle was managing product deliveries due to rush hour traffic. This was avoided by 5:00 am deliveries and closing one moving lane. Pavers were cut to fit around many lighting fixtures, underground vaults and various utility boxes. Unlike poured concrete, unit pavers can be removed and reinstated at the correct elevations whenever any settlement occurs during future additions to the street. The City of Raleigh will likely have an ongoing need to connect new utilities along the sidewalks. Therefore, pavers are the ideal system since they can be picked up, removed and then reinstated without patches after repairs.
Another benefit of unit pavers is their sustainable repair. Concrete cracks and requires more time to dispose, not to mention the need for jack hammers, dump trucks, and concrete trucks that occupy valuable space and parking along downtown streets. Unlike poured concrete, manufactured units rarely suffer from quality control problems and there’s no waiting time for curing.
