Ultra-green inner-city development in the works
Case study: Encore!
Belgard Commercial and Oldcastle Precast are working together to create the infrastructure for a unique "city within a city" revitalization project for Tampa, FL.
The new 40-acre mixed-use development replaces 12 city blocks vacated several years ago by the Central Park Village public housing complex. Located at the northeast border of downtown Tampa, the music-themed Encore!® development pays homage to the music legends known to have frequented or lived in the area--such as Ray Charles and Ella Fitzgerald--and is planned to include multifamily housing, senior housing, retail shops, a hotel, and a black history museum.
Solar Park includes intricate paver walkways of Urbana®, Mega-Arbel®, and Bergerac® pavers. In addition, Mega-Bergerac® and tumbled Urbana were used in the intersections, Holland™ for the sidewalks and cross walks, and Eco-Holland™ permeable pavers on the center median of the main thoroughfare.
All concrete from previously existing structures was recycled for use in the new construction. Additional green initiatives include a centralized cooled water air conditioning plant, solar powered street lighting, and the use of over 120,000 sq.ft. of Belgard Hardscapes pavers to reduce the heat island effect and aid in storm water management.
In addition to subterranean utility housing, Oldcastle Precast provided a storm water harvesting system including a Storm Capture® vault that can hold up to 33,000 cubic yards of water before recycling it for irrigation use.
About the Author
Since 1995, a nationwide network of Oldcastle manufacturing facilities has produced Belgard interlocking pavers, paving stone and garden wall products. These products include the traditional and antiqued paver and wall series. All Belgard products have a long history of successful applications on thousands of residential and commercial projects throughout the United States and Canada. Contact Belgard Hardscapes, Inc. at www.belgard.biz.
