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Industry Partners Series: Commercial hardstand design
Engineers Australia
Overview
This video explores the design and application of commercial hardstands, focusing on the benefits and practicalities of using pavers, particularly permeable pavers. It features insights from civil engineers and pavement specialists who discuss technical design considerations, material selection, and real-world case studies. The presentation highlights how pavers can offer aesthetic, environmental, and functional advantages over traditional materials like asphalt and concrete, emphasizing their role in sustainable urban development, stormwater management, and reducing the urban heat island effect. The discussion also touches upon the importance of proper design, installation, and maintenance for long-term performance.
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Chapters
- Hardstand design is crucial for various commercial and industrial applications.
- Pavers, especially permeable options, offer multi-functional benefits beyond traditional surfaces.
- Overcoming self-imposed barriers like 'too hard' or 'too expensive' is key to adopting better paving solutions.
- Proper design and construction ensure pavers perform to high standards.
Understanding the potential of diverse paving materials, like pavers, is essential for creating more sustainable, functional, and aesthetically pleasing built environments.
Olympic Park, which features permeable pavements that have remained functional and visually appealing under high pedestrian traffic for over 25 years.
- Traditional asphalt surfaces, like those in some car parks, can contribute significantly to the urban heat island effect and offer limited environmental benefits.
- Pavers provide an opportunity to integrate green infrastructure and improve site amenity.
- Permeable pavers can manage stormwater runoff, recharge groundwater, and support vegetation growth.
- The use of pavers can enhance traffic calming and delineate spaces effectively.
Recognizing the environmental and functional drawbacks of conventional hardstand materials prompts a shift towards more innovative and sustainable paving solutions.
A netball headquarters car park, originally with some greenery, was stripped bare to an all-bitumen surface, illustrating a missed opportunity for environmental integration.
- Permeable pavers can solve design constraints, such as lack of grade for drainage, by allowing water infiltration.
- A common design error involves using a geofabric layer below the bedding sand, which can create a slip zone and lead to pavement movement.
- Permeable pavements can be successfully integrated around trees, allowing for root respiration and moisture penetration.
- Multi-disciplinary collaboration (urban designers, horticulturalists, traffic engineers) is vital for holistic design outcomes.
Understanding specific design details and potential pitfalls, like the geofabric issue, is crucial for the successful and long-lasting implementation of permeable pavement systems.
An entrance to a golf course with no existing grade was successfully drained using permeable pavers, eliminating the need for traditional drainage infrastructure.
- Pavers offer aesthetic appeal, traffic control, environmental protection, and stormwater management benefits.
- In industrial areas transitioning to residential, permeable pavements can enhance street amenity and support existing trees.
- The repair of paver surfaces is typically simpler and less disruptive than concrete or asphalt.
- Permeable paving in common driveways for multi-dwelling developments can significantly reduce site runoff.
- Successful implementation of permeable paving can influence subsequent developments by the same clients or designers.
Demonstrating the versatility and positive impact of pavers across various settings, from industrial streets to residential developments, showcases their value as a sustainable infrastructure choice.
A street in an industrial area was transformed with permeable pavement to improve amenity and support trees, influencing nearby urban renewal projects.
- Commercial hardstands often involve heavy equipment and vehicle loading, requiring specialized design considerations beyond roads or car parks.
- Interlocking pavers function as a system, relying on friction and interlocking between blocks to act as a uniform layer.
- Design methods like mechanistic-empirical procedures are common, focusing on protecting subgrade and bound layers from excessive stress and strain.
- Various design procedures exist (e.g., Interpave, DesignPave, AFPA), and understanding their underlying principles and assumptions is important.
- Issues like settlement on soft ground and the choice between unbound or stabilized base layers require careful consideration.
A thorough understanding of pavement design principles, material properties, and loading conditions is critical for ensuring the structural integrity and longevity of heavy-duty hardstands.
The design of a 100-ton reach stacker area highlights significant differences in loading and stress compared to standard vehicle axles, necessitating deeper analysis and potentially different material specifications.
- Brickworks supplied custom-blended pavers, special blocks with center rebates, and facing bricks for the Sydney Football Stadium project.
- The project involved producing new paver blends and honing them to meet specific aesthetic requirements.
- Efficient manufacturing and installation processes were crucial to meet project deadlines, such as for a major sporting event.
- The success of this project has opened doors for Brickworks in the commercial paver market, leading to increased tendering opportunities.
- The use of pavers in large-scale projects like stadiums demonstrates their capability for high-traffic, high-amenity public spaces.
This case study illustrates the successful application of specialized paver products in a high-profile, complex project, showcasing product innovation and collaborative delivery.
Five new paver styles were produced, totaling approximately 700,000 units, manufactured in just seven working days, and then honed over eight weeks for the Sydney Football Stadium surrounds.
Key takeaways
- Commercial hardstand design should prioritize multi-functional solutions, integrating environmental benefits with structural requirements.
- Permeable pavers offer significant advantages in stormwater management, urban cooling, and landscape support compared to traditional impervious surfaces.
- Careful attention to design details, such as avoiding geofabric slip zones in permeable pavements, is crucial for long-term performance.
- The selection of paving materials should consider life-cycle costs, constructability, sustainability, and local material availability.
- While specialized design procedures exist for heavy-duty pavements, understanding their basis and potentially using multiple methods can lead to more robust designs.
- Successful paver projects, especially in high-profile public spaces, can drive market innovation and influence future development trends.
- Proper maintenance, even if infrequent, is essential for ensuring the continued functionality of permeable pavement systems.
Key terms
HardstandPermeable PavementInterlocking PaversStormwater ManagementUrban Heat Island EffectGeofabricMechanistic-Empirical DesignSubgradeLife Cycle CostingTraffic Calming
Test your understanding
- What are the primary environmental benefits of using permeable pavers in commercial hardstand design?
- How can permeable pavements help overcome site constraints related to grading and drainage?
- What is a common design mistake associated with permeable pavements, and why is it problematic?
- When designing hardstands for heavy equipment, what are the key differences in loading considerations compared to standard road design?
- How does the repair process for paver surfaces differ from that of concrete or asphalt, and what are the implications for maintenance?