– Silva Cells solved the 2009 CSO stormwater transition during the Marquette and 2nd Avenue (MARQ2) busway project, mitigating stormwater runoff. – Over 167 trees were installed along 48 blocks of downtown Minneapolis each with 588 ft3 (16.6 m3) of soil volume. – Above ground, the trees provide shade, clean air, and beauty. Below ground,… More
Creating a Standard for a Green Infrastructure Sidewalk This is the first of a series of five posts featuring case studies that illustrate the need for a paradigm shift for how streets and sidewalks are designed and constructed. This new paradigm for Green Infrastructure is based on Creativity, Collaboration, and Compromise (CC&C), and is demonstrated… More
A question we’re sometimes asked is, “can Silva Cells be cut?” Meaning, can they be modified in the field to fit around obstructions? The short answer is no. We do not advise cutting or in any way modifying individual Silva Cells. Think of it like playing the game Jenga, where you stack up rectangular wood… More
Developing Green Infrastructure in Cities Requires a Paradigm Shift The imperative of dealing with climate change has generated the need for cities to develop “green” infrastructure. The development of green, environmentally ethical, infrastructure needs upstream support from politicians and policymakers to succeed. It also requires fundamental changes downstream to the way plans for streets and… More
We have a lot of resources about implementing minimum soil volumes for urban trees on this blog. Recently we’ve updated our list of municipalities that have a minimum soil volume standard. Trees need an adequate volume of root, oxygen-rich soil to thrive, and minimum soil volume policies are a powerful tool for arborists and other advocates… More
A 240-year-old market glows with resilient green infrastructure and people-centric design Richmond, Virginia’s 17th Street Farmers Market is the oldest of its kind in the nation, declared a public market in 1779. (Though some accounts claim it started unofficially as early as 1737). As commerce grew, so did the market, and in 1854 a building… More
Silva Cells were originally developed to provide adequate tree rooting volumes even in areas dominated by pavement. They do this by extending rootable soil volume under HS20 load bearing surfaces. These rootable tree volumes and the large trees that root in them are also an efficient sustainable stormwater management system. Sometimes people ask us if… 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
Soil. Stormwater. Sustainable Infrastructure.
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