Decorative Pervious Concrete

Really?! Decorative porous concrete? Is that even possible? Unless you like the rice krispie looking concrete, you probably think I'm crazy. But... the innovators at Colorado Hardscapes are at it again. Colorado Hardscapes has a NEW pervious concrete system that is decorative! They call it "Hydrascapes". I can't tell you how they do it, but I can tell you that you can take any of your favorite Colorado Harsdcapes' finishes - Sandscape, Bomanite stamped concrete, broom finish, Lithocrete - and apply the Hydrascapes system to it and viola - decorative pervious concrete.

Intrigued? Call Colorado Hardscapes for more information.Call 303-750-8200 or visit www.coloradohardscapes.com (Hydrascapes is so new, that it's not even on the website right now)

Urban Splash Park

Barnum Park at 370 Hooker St. experienced a welcome renovation during 2010 thanks to a $1.2 million City of Denver bond project. In addition to improving two existing pools, a non-functioning pool was replaced with an interactive Splash Pad. Colorado Hardscapes worked closely with the architectural firm of BHA to bring life and vitality to this venerable neighborhood park.

 

This urban Splash Pad has interactive water play features, such as a slide, buckets and spray guns and is divided into two areas – one for 2-5 year olds and one for 5-12 year olds. The gray broom-finish splash pads are enhanced by bright red, green, and blue Ultra Tuff Coatings and incorporate three different wet/dry finishes. This variety of finishes and the active water features warmly and playfully invite the children into the area.

Due to vandalism on the site early on in the renovation, the work crews needed to perform at an accelerated pace to meet a delayed deadline. This tight schedule coupled with tight quarters and the complications of fitting new equipment with existing utilities added to the challenges that Colorado Hardscapes met with the expertise they are known for. While initially scheduled to open at the beginning of the summer season, the crews were able to complete their work by mid-summer for a July 29 opening. This allowed the residents to enjoy the facility for a month in 2010 and to look forward to a full season in 2011.

Attractive Pervious Concrete –Oxymoron or Reality?

Pervious concrete – porous yet strong concrete that allows water to soak through – has been around for a long time. In most applications its utilitarian appeal usually trumps any aesthetic appeal. However, to trained eyes in the decorative concrete industry the puffed rice cereal look is not only ugly, but the rough surface makes it difficult to walk on, especially in high heels or barefeet.

Colorado Hardscapes appreciates the benefits, including the LEED requirements, of pervious concrete. We also strive for innovation in concrete. In an attempt to offer LEED and other sustainable projects something more elegant than dressing up pervious concrete with integral or topical color, something that would add curb appeal along with the benefits of free-draining paving, our research and development department has been tinkering with a few solutions. While these solutions are still in the R & D stage, they offer a lot of promise to marry the aesthetics with the practical.

The one we are most excited about is shown to the right. Using Colorado Hardscapes’ Navajo White Sandscape Texture™ and a series of precise sawcuts an aesthetically unique and functional pervious surface was created. The benefits? The high-class finish of Sandscape Texture™, a pervious surface that drains at a similar rate to the traditional pervious concrete, and the SRI value of the Navajo White color (tested at an SRI of 60)! This type of application is a system that can apply regardless of the selected color and texture, so suddenly the choices become almost endless. Can you hear the LEED points racking up?

To see this sample in action, visit our Design Center at 8085 E. Harvard Ave., Denver, CO 80231. For more information about pervious concrete, either traditional or this technique, contact Karen Van Heukelem at kvanheukelem@coloradohardscapes.com or John Buteyn at jbuteyn@coloradohardscapes.com or 303-750-8200.

Spring Patio Party

Despite the snow and rain, our Spring Party at Colorado Hardscapes was a success on May 13th! The Design Center was bustling with activity while dicussions of water features, flooring, pervious paving, di Giacomo rockscapes, Sandscape Texture, glow in the dark concrete, Lithocrete, and Bomanite were being had.

We had a great turn out of Landscape Architects, Owners, General Contractors and Architects. Following the educational tour, we enjoyed Purple Avacado Catering, beverages, and great networking.

Rock artisan Philip di Giacomo even flew in from California from the event.