With the construction of the American Copper Building Plaza underway, we will be featuring a series of news posts on the construction progress. To kick off the series, we are highlighting the expanded streetscape. Designed to draw visitors into the plaza, the expanded streetscape emphasizes the public nature of this site.
The streetscape is built on structure, meaning there is a concrete slab of a parking garage roof several feet below the surface. Therefore, the design really begins below grade with a specific build-up of materials to ensure even surfaces and healthy plantings, similar to how a green roof is designed. These build-up layers include Sand Based Structural Soil (SBSS), geogrid, crushed stone, filter fabric, sand setting bed, and custom slate and limestone pavers. SCAPE has been working with Pine & Swallow Environmental Services to specify the Sand Based Structural Soil, a soil system designed specifically for underneath highly trafficked pavements to facilitate the flow of nutrients, water, and biology. The process of installing these soils is quite rigorous.
To create a unique streetscape surface, SCAPE designed custom limestone hexagonal pavers in a tessellation pattern. The paving is punctured by custom iron tree grates, which are manufactured by Urban Accessories. The pavers were laid out first and then the tree grates were set into the pavers.
To emphasize this aesthetic of raw material and stone, large seating boulders were individually selected from the Champlain Stone quarry and will be placed on the edges of planting beds to provide additional seating areas. Stay tuned for parts 2 and 3 of the series.
For more construction photos, check out our Facebook album.
Read more about the project here.