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The elegance of a single band of pavers adds to the urban environment of the Country Club Plaza.

The Incorporation of pavers in a Streetscape is a great way to economically break up the monotony of a sidewalk. Even a single band of brick pavers can go a long way to incorporate elements of the architecture into the landscape. The Country Club Plaza often serves as inspiration for me when designing a streetscape. The authenticity of the details at the Plaza are exquisite. It is an affluent area of Kansas City, therefore value engineering has an entirely different meaning. The image to the left illustrates a similar condition to what is described below. You can see that around the tree grate, the designer incorporated a single band of brick pavers between the grate and the sidewalk. This single band serves as a great border between the concrete that supports the tree grate and the sidewalk. Also note in this image the use of the increased curb depth.

Brick pavers must be incorporated with caution to avoid trip hazards caused by the shrink/swell of poor soils. A technique that I have used on prior Streetscape projects is to utilize a single pour of concrete a few feet on both sides of the pavers. As you can see in the detail sketch, there are not any construction joints or expansion joints between the pavers and the concrete walk. This limits the ability of the pavers to vary greatly from the concrete. The concrete base does limit the ability for water to infiltrate so other means are needed. In designing streetscapes, I tend to locate the brick pavers perpendicular to a tree well where the runoff can be directed to the tree well.

It is important for sub-grade conditions to be constant for brick pavers and adjacent concrete.

Originally posted 2011-12-04 15:02:49.

1. The Urban Streetscape Process
2. Denver Traditional Brick Home Complete
3. Denver Traditional Brick Home Complete
4. Lariat Loop Designated National Scenic and Historic Byway
5. Urban Street Trees: Root Barrier
6. Brick Corner at Holly Park Community Center
7. How to Repair Brick Walls that are Separating (Delamination)
8. Considerations of Fly Ash in Concrete.