Just 8 blocks from Central Park, 20 trees with healthy soils and room to grow, will join the concrete jungle of New York City at 1271 Avenue of the Americas. A superlative example of mid-century modern architecture, 1271 Avenue of the Americas is an iconic Midtown Manhattan building with a rich history. Designed by Harrison,… More
The City of Del Mar Improves its Main Camino with Trees and Silva Cells – In early 2019, 85 new trees planted with Silva Cell along the Camino Del Mar Streetscape – Silva Cells captures over 20,000 gallons of stormwater from the streets and sidewalks while supporting load-bearing surfaces above. – An integrated solution to… More
– Innovative Storm Water Solutions employed through Silva Cell technology where runoff from the public streets at North City East is treated using median and curbside biofiltration facilities that incorporate underground detention modules for pollutant control, hydromodification, and 100-year peak flow migration. – Silva Cells captured over 80,000 gallons of stormwater from the streets and… More
Significant portions of compost are an essential part of many bioretention and other green infrastructure soils. Compost is a beneficial complement to the largely inert aggregate used to provide rapid infiltration in these mixes: It stores significant moisture—reducing peak and total flows, has a high capacity to trap nutrients and contaminants, and boosts the biological… More
Bioretention has been shown to effectively remove heavy metals from stormwater runoff, which makes it a very useful design tool. However, there are two common concerns related to long term use of bioretention for heavy metals removal: (1) When will breakthrough occur, i.e. when will the binding sites be saturated so that dissolved heavy metals… More
Writing Bullet Proof Resistant Soil Specifications By Howard Stenn, Stenn Design Soil specifications with unnecessary, contradictory or unverifiable standards are an invitation for plant and drainage problems, project delays, and ensuing conflicts over responsibility. Problematic provisions often accumulate in office specifications—added for a particular project or not removed when a divergent section is added –and… More
Soil structure (how soil particles are held together to form larger structures within the soil) is recognized as an important property of a healthy soil. Grading, tilling, soil compaction and screening soils during the soil processing and mixing process damages structure. To counteract the loss of structure, specifiers then add to it, utilizing a mined… More
Over the past 20 years compost has become a standard amendment for landscape site soils and topsoil mixes, but specifications are far from standardized. While regional and project-specific conditions require variation in compost quality, there are basic parameters that every compost should meet for use in landscapes. There are also some common provisions that should… More
As the northern hemisphere begins the thaw and our record-setting snow melts, we are drawn to the transformation of the landscape. Our love of trees runs deep, and we are all looking forward to digging in the soil. In Minnesota, the technical team is also trying not to get too excited – sometimes it snows… More
Over 20 years ago, the City of Del Mar along the southern California coastline began a citywide process to improve streetscapes with the intention to preserve and enhance the tangible qualities of the community. In 2019, construction began of the downtown streetscape portion, which will bring these concepts to fruition, building up the commercial center of… More
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) or “drones” evoke a variety of responses from people ranging from anger over privacy invasion to awe over the new perspectives on our world. But like the Force, drones are merely tools that can be used for either the Dark Side or the Light. My interest in drones is related to… More
This blog is the first in a series of three that focuses on maintenance for Green Infrastructure (GI) systems and includes design considerations for selecting and designing GI systems, developing O&M manuals, and training maintenance staff to maintain the installed GI facilities. Conventional or grey stormwater infrastructure systems require maintenance in order to provide the… More
Soil. Stormwater. Sustainable Infrastructure.
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