Parking Lot Grass Reinforcement

To get ready for a major tourism boom for the400 year anniversary of the first permanent English settlement in the United States, establishing overflow parking without creating a visual eyesore – or additional runoff – is paramount. The city knew that building this needed space would have to be done quickly, without interfering with current visitors’ enjoyment of the Center.

To create additional parking area that’s visually attractive, porous pavement was an obvious choice. Of the many available options, the Atlantis Turf Cell® was selected for its ability to grow rhizomatous grasses. With lateral openings throughout the block, the Atlantis Turf Cell® is the only porous pavement unit available that allows grass roots to spread within the protected topsoil zone. This allows damaged areas – or areas that get frequent traffic during the tourism boom – to repair themselves without additional over seeding, creating a self-healing system. Having a strength of over 6,000 psi, 2″thickness, speedy installation, and a price tag similar to other systems, the Atlantis Turf Cell® was a perfect fit for the project.

To avoid creating further parking problems, reconstruction of the 25,000 square foot (2323 m²) parking lot was completed over a single weekend. The lot was excavated and a porous base was placed and compacted. Turf Cell, a new porous pavement unit from Atlantis Water Management Solutions, was installed. The Atlantis® Turf Cell® will allow the lot to keep its attractive grass finish while preventing the grass from rutting. At the same time it will allow rainwater to infiltrate through the pavement. With a thickness of 2.05 inches (52mm), the Atlantis® Turf Cell® protects the grass by preventing compaction of the top-soil. It is also the only porous paver that has lateral openings within the unit allowing rhizomatous grasses to spread.