Landscape Architect & Specifier News

APR 2017

LASN is a photographically oriented, professional journal featuring topics of concern and state-of-the-art projects designed or influenced by registered Landscape Architects.

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Continued from page 14 h a rd s c a p e s 16 Landscape Architect and Specifier News the project being illuminated. The lighting system allows the plaza to change colors based on an astronomical clock and to communicate with the surrounding illuminated buildings, such as the Children's Hospital," according to Mauricio Ramos, EIT, project manager. Extending this complex array to the surrounding environment required the installation of pavers that resembled the remains of the Alazan Acequia, an irrigation system built in the late 19th century that ran through the plaza. Customized 4" by 16" plank CityLock pavers in a brown and beige color palette match the ripple stone associated with the Alazan Acequia. A permeable version of the paver, Eco-CityLock, was created to support the Centro Plaza underground storm water recycling initiative. "Centro Plaza is environmentally conscious. The plaza includes an underground stormwater storage tank. The water stored in this tank irrigates the landscape and trees within the plaza, and keeps on recycling and filtering itself," said Ramos. The gravity-fed underground storage and distribution system captures stormwater that matriculates through the permeable pavers and structural soils in pipes that drain into a chamber, which can hold more than 20,000 gallons of water. A low-pressure, low-cost, low-maintenance and low-flow pump redistributes the stored water to irrigate the surrounding trees. The process is projected to save 50 to 80 percent more water than conventional irrigation. Gratr Landscapes installed 80,000 square feet of CityLock pavers at Centro Plaza on schedule, even with heavy spring rains that occurred while the team was working on the underground and paving phases of the project. Top, Right: The plaza comes to life at night with a variety of colored lights adorning the buildings and the shade structures. The lighting control system is wireless and allows the colors to change based on an astronomical clock and in conjunction with illuminated buildings surrounding the area. Above: While the two pavers used look similar to one another, one is permeable and one is not. The permeable areas allow stormwater to drain into an underground storage and distribution system that can hold more than 20,000 gallons. A low-flow pump circulates the stored water to irrigate the tree bosque. Bottom, Right: The 150,000 square foot plaza includes 80,000 square feet of 4" x 16" permeable plank pavers in a brown and beige palette. These pavers were specified to resemble the remains of the Alazan Acequia, a 19th century irrigation system that ran through what is now Centro Plaza.

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