Patrick Healy's Design Portfolio

Patrick Healy’s Design Portfolio

landscape architecture + urban design

navigating the urban landscape

STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

“I am a forward thinker with an ultimate goal of leaving this planet in a better state through my contributions in architecture and design.

Since entering graduate school, I have been able to look inward and contemplate a new personal path, straying from the superficies of residential design to a more meaningful and impactful role in shaping the expansion of the urban environment. I would like to re-emerge into the professional world with a revitalized ardor to influence large-scale systems that operate in cooperation with the growth and expansion on a city-wide scale.

Many landscape architects and urban designers are faced with a stagnant domestic job market and have begun working with Chinese developers in the country’s many major cities.

Developing connections in this growing part of the world could potentially lead to future opportunities in theprofessional realm in my landscape architecture and urban design career.

I would like to work on projects that integrate the function of large-scale ecological systems with an aesthetic that contributes to an overall improvement in quality of life for city dwellers.

I believe that urban design, by utilizing the combined resources of landscape architecture, architecture, and planning, has the potential to beneficially structure the future of the city.

My personal goal is to have a direct and meaningful impact on the overall health and quality of the earth. I feel that urban design and landscape architecture will be vitally integral in providing a conscientious framework to shape and adapt to the projected growth of our cities.

I want to design places that create self-generating and resilient environments to endure over time.�

-Patrick Healy, MLA/MUD

SELECTED WORKS

Novato, CA

Westwood Mercado & Gardens

Carolyn Norris Park

Carlsberg Urban Filter

Changan li Agricultural District

41st & Fox St. Station Area Redevelopment

Auraria Campus Master Plan

The Learning Garden @ Schmitt Elementary

The Millworks

San Jose, CA

Nanjing, China

Denver, Colorado

Corporate Vertical Gardens San Francisco, CA

The Path at the Marble Mill Site Marble, Colorado

Denver, Colorado

Copenhagen, Denmark

Denver, CO

Denver, CO

Interviewing a Brick: Urban Architecture Study Denver, CO

Denver’s Alleys: A New Environmental Frontier?

Writing Sample

The Millworks Novato, CA

Project Description: 124-unit residential building with extensive green roofs on podium, above Whole Foods market and public plaza. Scope also included design of streetscape, planted median and public playground. Personal work included preparation of preliminary renderings and construction documents for design review submittals.

Project Completion: Summer 2010 Client: Signature Properties Architect: HKIT Architects Landscape Architect: Shari Van Dorn, Principal, Van Dorn Abed Landscape Architects, Inc.

Public Plaza with Whole Foods and Seating Areas

The Millworks Novato, CA

Plaza Planting Plan: AutoCAD

Plaza Plan Rendering, Chartpak Markers on Presentation Bond

Open-Air Third-Floor Podium / Green Roof

Semi-custom Fountain Detail, AutoCAD

Constructed Fountain on Podium

Podium Planting Plan, AutoCAD

Carolyn Norris Park San Jose, CA

Project Description: 1.2-acre public park including two play areas, custom shade structure with picnic tables, gaming area and open play fields. his park serves the local residents and the greater community of Southwest San Jose’s Cambrian Park neighborhood. The design process included extensive review by city planning and maintenance staff. Personal role included reparation of Conceptual Plans, CD Planting, Layout and Details.

Project Type: Landscape Architecture Client: Summerhill Homes, City of San Jose Architect: HMH Architects Landscape Architect: Van Dorn Abed Landscape Architects, Inc.

Play Structure with EWF Safety Surface

Carolyn Norris Park San Jose, CA

Picnic Area with Custom Radial Trellis

Custom Radial Trellis Detail, Section and Plan, AutoCAD

Play Area with Ornamental Shrub Massings

Play Area and Game Table Plaza Surfacing Detail, AutoCAD

Park Planting Plan, AutoCAD with LandFX Plug-in

Game Table and Seating Plaza

Rendered Site Plan, Chartpak Markers on Bond

Changan li Agricultural District Nanjing, China

Design Team: Patrick Healy, Fatima Terin Instructor Name: Richard Epstein Course/Semester: URBN 6612 / Summer 2012 Course Name: International Studio Shanghai Project Description: 18-hectare agricultural and aquaponic research and development district in southern Nanjing, serving as a model for agricultural research and production in an urban setting. The concept deals with revealing the site’s history as an agriculture and fishing village, updated for a modern Chinese city.

Courtyard and Canal Aerial: SketchUp with VRAY Plug-in

Changan li Agricultural District Nanjing, China

Productive Courtyards, SketchUp and Photoshop

Canal Perspective, SketchUp w/ V-ray Plug-in

settlement canals filtration runoff Water Treatment Diagram, SketchUp and Illustrator

highway

Section / Transect Aa (Illustrator and Photoshop)

commercial center, marketplace canal

Agricultural Exhibition Island, SketchUp w/ V-ray Plug-in

elevated wakway

aquaponics research canal

green roof research canal

Elevated Highway

Local Food Market Along Canal

Commercial

Agricultural and Aquaponics Research Island

Canal w/ Terraced Banks for Small Agriculture

Aquaponics farm

Central Park / Open Space

Aquaculture & Agricultural Research and Exhibition Corridor, SketchUp w/ V-ray Plug-in

Canal w/ Terraced Banks for Small Agriculture

High-Density Mixed-Use Residential

Exhibition Island for Sunstainable practices developed in Research Findings

Riverfront Commercial

Linear Park with Glass View Decks

City Wall

Inner City of Nanjing

Linear Park Open Space

river bridge

multi-family residential with terraced green balconies and green roofs canal

multi-family residential w/ connection to exhibition island

city wall with new access canal

green roof and aquaponics exhibition island

Outer Qinhuai River

Auraria Campus Master Plan Denver, Colorado

Instructors’ Names: Matt Shawaker, Todd Wenskoski Course Number/Semester: URBN 6642 / Fall 2013 Course Name: City and Institution Concept: Integrate the Auraria Campus with Downtown Denver both physically and intellectually to build and sustain intellectual capital.

Project Description: The focus area along Lawrence St. extends the green spine on campus outward to an integrated urban spine that captures some of the existing professional districts within the Central Business District. This area integrates commercial (retail and office), residential, and academic building uses to offer a campus experience that is closely tied to urban living.

Lawrence St. Linear Urban Park with 2-way Bike Lane

Auraria Campus Master Plan Denver, Colorado

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Auraria Campus Analysis Diagrams

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Rendered Master Plan

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Corporate Vertical Gardens San Francisco, CA

Project Description: Interior and exterior vertical gardens in a corporate office. Indoor gardens offer improved air quality- with air-scrubbing plantsand a quiet lounge space. Outdoor gardens allow access to fresh produce grown on-site for use in corporate kitchens.

Project Type: Horticulture, Landscape Architecture Client: Google San Francisco Co-Consultants: Peter Healy, Mark DeMitchell

Isometric View of Garden Lounge in corporate office

Corporate Vertical Gardens San Francisco, CA

Indoor Garden Lounge Area perspective

Garden Creator w/ Original Form (verticalearthgardens.com)

Process Drawing with original garden system design

Customized garden system

Fern Orchid

Snake Plant

Sample Produce Plant Palette

Mint

Tomato

Chard

Garden Lounge perspective

Indoor Air-Scrubbing Plant Palette

Outdoor Produce Garden on balcony

The Path at the Marble Mill Site Marble, Colorado

Instructors’ Names: Anthony Mazzeo, Leila Tolderlund Course Number/Semester: LDAR 5501 / Fall 2010 Course Name: Landscape Architecture Studio 1 Concept: The sunken path seeks to replicate the forces at work in the creation and extraction of marble; the visitor embodies marble as he/she moves along the Path and encounters pressure and extraction.

Project Description: Symbolic pathway on former marble mill grounds, where marble was extracted for use throughout the world. The sunken path seeks to replicate the forces at work in the creation and extraction of marble; the visitor embodies marble as he/she moves along the Path and encounters pressure and extraction.

Final Composite DrawingFinal Hand-Drawn Composite Drawing (22”x44”)

The Path at the Marble Mill Site Marble, Colorado

Conceptual Composite Sketch, hand sketch

“Structures,” hand sketch on xerox transfer

“Voids and Volumes”

Visitor sees reflection in polished marble surface at apex

Final Composite DrawingFinal Hand-Drawn Composite Drawing (22”x44”)

Emerging from the Path

”Scale”

“History”

Westwood Mercado & Gardens Denver, Colorado

Instructors’ Names: Lori Catalano, Heath Mizer Course Number/Semester: LDAR 5502 / Spring 2011 Course Name: Landscape Architecture Design Studio2 Concept: Create a flexible community space to highlight the identity of Denver’s Westwood neighborhood.

Project Description: Flexible community market and garden space within parking lot at entrance to this underserved neighborhood’s only park.

The parking spaces become vendor stalls for community members to promote their goods and services. Adjacent garden space offers fresh seasonal fruits and vegetables to be sold in the market.

Prescriptive Formula for Design Goals

Year 1/ año 1 Westwood Mercado & Gardens

Winter (Invierno):

Fall (Otoño):

Dia De los Muertos Parade, Pumpkin Carving, Costume Contest

Year 2 / año 2 Fall (Otoño):

Winter (Invierno):

Vietnamese New Year Celebration, Sledding Hill, Tamale Competition

Back-to-School Festival, Cake Walk, Clothing Swap

Holiday Festival, Snowman Competition, Chili Cook-o

Denver, Colorado

Summer (Verano):

Spring (Primavera) :

Summer (Verano):

Cinco de Mayo Celebration, Live Mural Exhibition, Outdoor Movie Night

Year 4 / año 4

Fall (Otoño):

Harvest Festival, Apple Cider Tasting, Costume Contest

Our Lady of Guadalupe Day, Snowball Fight,

Spring (Primavera) :

Potluck Dinner, 4th of July Fireworks, Mariachi Performance

Mother’s Day Celebration, Flower Arrangement Demo, Face-painting

Live Salsa Music, Salsa Dancing, Salsa Tasting

Winter (Invierno):

Spring (Primavera) :

Year 3 / año 3 Winter (Invierno):

Spring (Primavera) :

Easter Celebration, Trash Clean-up, Car Wash Fundraise

New Years Festival, Snowman Competition,

Summer (Verano):

Water Balloon Fight, Track and Field Events Children’s Music

Planting Festival, Field Games, Live Mural Exhibition

Summer (Verano):

Fall (Otoño): Harvest Festival, Pumpkin Carving, Costume Contest

Memorial Day Festival, Battle of the Bands, Taco Night

Annual / Seasonal Calendar

Winter inviernoBrussel Sprouts, Cabbage, Carrots, Onions, Turnips, Sweet Potatoes

Spring primaveraAsparagus, Artichokes, Beets, Leeks, Mint, Parsley, Spinach, Lettuce, Peas, Cherries, Strawberries, Radishes

Summer veranoApples, Blueberries, Basil, Peppers, Melons, Corn, Cilantro, Lettuce, Onions, Potatoes, Tomatoes

Fall otoñoApples, Artichokes, Broccoli, Cabbage, Carrots, Chard, Eggplant, Garlic, Grapes, Pumpkins, Tomatillos, Zucchini

Site Selection Rotates between Neighborhood Quadrants and Celebrates Seasonal Events, GIS and Illustrator

Concept “Formula”

Mercado/Parking lot with vendor stalls, performance space, solar panel shade structures, and rainwater gardens

Educational Garden with Raised Planters, SketchUp

Mercado Stalls and Below Solar Panels

Site Layers Diagram, Illustrator

Community garden with outdoor classroom, raised planters and fruit orchard, hand sketch with Photoshop

Performance Area with Stage and Lawn

Carlsberg Urban Filter Copenhagen, Denmark

Design Team: Patrick Healy, Jacob Lujan Instructor’s Name: Leila Tolderlund Course Number/Semester: LDAR 6712 / Fall 2011 Course Name: Green Roofs / Living Systems Project Description: This 2-acre public park and garden space on former Carlsberg Brewery campus uses bio mimicry as a design strategy.

Using the model of a coral reef to captures and absorbs nutrients from tidal currents, this project uses carbon-sequestering technologies to capture and absorb airborne pollutants.

Illustrative Site Plan, Photoshop

Carlsberg Urban Filter Copenhagen, Denmark

North Birdseye View of Coral Facade and Green Roofs, Photoshop

Conceptual Plaza Perspective, hand sketch with Photoshop

Conceptual Entrance Perspective

Carbon Sequestration Diagram

South Perspective

Coral Facade Section Inform

Direct Capture

Inform

Direct Inform

Direct Capture

Train Plaza Wind Analysis Diagram

Capture

Parti Diagram, Capture + Direct + Inform January

July

INFORM: people are drawn to information nodes to find train shecdule information and absorption and energy metrics

41st & Fox St. Station Area Redevelopment Denver, CO

Instructors’ Names: Lori Catalano, Emmanuel Didier Course Number/Semester: LDAR 5503 / Fall 2011 Course Name: Landscape Architecture Studio3 Project Description: Transit-oriented development area near proposed light rail station including mixed-use commercial, office, residential, and public open space. The design concept is to reveal the historic, hidden ecosystems of Denver by “peeling back” the urban surface, focused on transect of 43rd St. Drainage and stormwater infrastructure is incorporated into the streetscape and plazas to combine ecological site systems and placemaking.

Amphitheater Perspective, SketchUp with Photoshop

41st & Fox St. Station Area Redevelopment Denver, CO

Ice Rink cutting urban “skin� to reveal prairie ecosystem; used for stormwater capture and ice rink, SketchUp and Photoshop

Study Model Showing District/Ecology Types, Laser cut

Ice Rink Study Model, paperboard and photoshop

“Peeling� back the Urban Skin to Reveal Historic Prairie Ecology

View of 43rd to Cottonwood Gallery, SketchUp and Photoshop

Prairie Zone

Mesic Zone

Amphitheater Section Showing Threshold of Underlying Ecologies, hand sketch with Photoshop

Prairie Zone

Urban Prairie Zone

43rd Avenue section/transect Showing underlying ecosystem types, hand sketch with Photoshop

Amphitheater Study Model, paper board and Photoshop

Prairie Zone

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The Learning Garden @ Schmitt Elementary Denver, CO

Landscape Architect: Chris Schooler, Lois Brink Project Completion: Summer 2011 Partners: Jen Lewin Design, Denver Public Schools, Slow Foods Denver, the Kitchen Community Personal Role: Conceptual Renderings, CD Planting, Details and Layout Plans Project Description: 1800-sf educational garden at Schmitt Elementary School incorporating a modular raised-planter system as a pilot project for school gardens nationwide. The partnership of designers and donors allowed for the resources needed to complete the project installation in a 4-hour volunteer build.

Rendered 3D Perspective of Preliminary Garden Site Design, SketchUp with Photoshop

The Learning Garden @ Schmitt Elementary Denver, CO

Preliminary Rendered Site Plan, Photoshop

Governor John Hickenlooper ‘digs in’ with Students

Schmitt Student Helping to Water Newly Planted Beds

SCHEMATIC PLANTING PLAN

Perennial - Edible planting beds with 75 sq ft

Native Perennial - Edible planting beds with pop up irrigation (typ) 75 sqft

Perennial Herb planting beds with pop up irrigation (typ) 50 sqft Dwarf Fruit Tree (2)

Annual Vegitables raised beds with drip irrigation (typ)

Perennial - Native Edible planting beds with pop up irrigation (typ) 75 sqft

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1/8" MILD STEEL PLATE 14 GA. MILD STEEL SHEET REMOVABLE TREX SLATS R34.72

Perennial Herb planting beds with pop up irrigation (typ) 25 sqft

1-1/2" DIA HOLE FOR STAKE 5" RUBBER GASKET

4 5 .0 0° 1-1/4" DIA CONDUIT FOR IRRIGATION LINES

Rendered 3D Perspective of Preliminary Garden Site , SketchUp

Schematic Planting Plan

1/2” STEEL CHANNEL, FLUSH W/ TOP FACE, WELDED AT EACH END TO SUPPORT TREX SLATS

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PLAN VIEW OF BENCH

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SECTION OF BENCH 1" = 1'

THE KITCHEN COMMUNITY 1/8" MILD STEEL PLATE 14 GA. MILD STEEL SHEET REMOVABLE TREX SLATS REMOVABLE TREX SLATS REMOVABLE 14GA. MILD STEEL TOP R34.72

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5" DIA RUBBER GASKET 1-1/2" DIA HOLE 1/2" REBAR STAKE

R64.72

SECTION OF BENCH PLAN VIEW OF BENCH

1" = 1' Raised Planter Bed Details 1" = 1'

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ELEVATION OF BENCH SECTION OF 4 BENCH

1" = 1'

1" = 1'

DATE SCALE

DRAWN BY

JOB NAME

POWDER COAT ON ALL SURFACES 14 GA. MILD STEEL SHEET WELD 1/8" MILD STEEL PLATE 5" DIA RUBBER GASKET 1-1/2" DIA HOLE 1/2" REBAR STAKE

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REMOVABLE TREX SLATS 1-1/4" DIA HOLE FOR IRRIGATION LINES 17/32" DIA HOLE FOR BOLTING UNITS TOGETHER OR ATTACHING ARCH BRACKET ENDS OF BENCH MADE OF 1/8" MILD STEEL PLATE ALL HOLES ON BENCH END TO MATCH HOLES ON GARDEN BED ENDS

PROJECT

1-1/2" x 1-1/2" x 1/8" STEEL ANGLE WELD 1-1/4" DIA CONDUIT FOR IRRIGATION LINES

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Panoramic View of Garden, Post-Installation

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POWDER COAT ON ALL SURFACES 14 GA. MILD STEEL SHEET WELD 1/8" MILD STEEL PLATE

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Interviewing a Brick: Urban Architecture Study Denver, CO

Instructor’s Name: Bob Flanagan Course Number/Semester: ARCH 6463 / Fall 2012 Course Name: Beginning Revit Project Description: Urban mixed-use commercial and residential development based on Louis Kahn’s famous quote. Bricks were used as a massing model for urban townhomes above commercial space. The design had to reflect limited building setbacks and account for a multitude of uses typical in a downtown setting.

Final rendered perspective using Revit Software

Interviewing a Brick: Urban Architecture Study Denver, CO

Section / Elevation

Cross-Section / Elevation

Brick sketch and modeling of selected composition

Interior/Exterior Sketch

Site plan, 14th and Larimer St., Denver, CO

Interior model perspective

Final rendered perspective, 14th and Larimer, Revit Model

Roof deck and backyard aerial perspective

Roof deck persective

Final form, black and white

Denver’s Alleys: A New Environmental Frontier?

Writing Sample

Publication: ROOT Magazine, Volume III, annual publication of the UC Denver Dept. of Landscape Architecture Instructor’s Name: Michael Leccese Course Number/Semester: LDAR 6686 / Spring 2011 Course Name: Design Communications Project Description: Writing sample showing potential use of Denver’s alleys as a part of a green infrastructure network, taking cues from Chicago’s Green Alley Program. The research included interviews with several of Denver’s city staff regarding feasibility of a project like this in Denver.

Our alleys have evolved a great deal since the “typical cobbled Denver alley between incinerators smoking slowly” mentioned in Jack Kerouac’s On the Road, published in 1958. Today, cobblestone alleys are rare in Denver, and smokestacks aren’t allowed in the city, but the unsafe feeling associated with alleys remains; where things and people go to be forgotten. A Google search for “Denver alleys” will generally turn up a handful of news stories of crimes or bodies found in Denver’s back alleys. They are a piece of the city’s fabric that often goes unnoticed until stories like these arise. But alleys serve a much more important purpose than they get credit for, and have the potential to serve an even greater purpose when they are built using progressive methods.

If streets are the arteries of the city, then alleys are the capillaries. While streets provide free circulation through town, alleys grant access to the critical daily services that maintain the city’s pulse. Denver’s bur-

GIS map of Denver’s alleys, shown in black

geoning urban fabric contains nearly 5,500 public alleys that are vital infrastructure for the city’s maintenance and cleanliness. In 2005, Denver began its unimproved alley paving program to pave more than 1,000 dirt alleyways with concrete and asphalt. The program is on track for completion this year with only several dozen unimproved alleys remaining.

Denver’s current alley system consists of three types of construction: concrete, asphalt overlaid, and black gold alleys. Concrete alleys are most prevalent in Denver, with nearly 2,500 throughout the city. Asphalt overlaid alleys consist of a concrete base beneath a layer of asphalt, and are the second-most common with 1,400. “Black gold” alleys are unimproved alleys covered with a compacted layer of recycled asphalt. According to the city website, citizens often complain about these unpaved alleys which become unstable in wet conditions, and also cause air and water quality issues.

Denver’s Alleys: A New Environmental Frontier?

Writing Sample

But is paving these spaces really the most appropriate solution? Black gold alleys are at least a step in the right direction. The open-graded material allows some storm water to infiltrate and recharge the water table, while providing the least costly method of installation. But this is also the least-stable method and requires annual upkeep to maintain. There must be a solution to allow the benefits of permeability and use of recycled materials with minimal maintenance.

Chicago is known for its large network of alleys. With 1,900 miles covering 3,500 acres of surface area (the equivalent of five major airports), it ranks among the largest in the world. Many of the city’s original alleyways were built without a connection to the city’s combined sewer and storm water system. As a result, adjacent properties and especially basements often flood during heavy precipitation. This nuisance would require costly and extensive construction to fix by installing new sewer connections. Fortunately, where soil conditions are appropriate, Chicago found that a more sustainable solution is also cheaper.

Chicago launched its Green Alley Program in 2007. It’s a cooperative effort of the Department of Transportation and the Department of Streets and Sanitation to apply sustainable construction methods and technology to all new alley renovations. The Program has several main goals: conserving resources and energy, managing storm water, reducing the urban heat island effect, and promoting recycling. Then Mayor Richard M. Daley and Cheri Heramb, Commissioner of the Dept. of Transportation, launched this effort with a team of designers: Hitchcock Design Group, Knight E/A, Inc., and Hey and Associates, Inc. Current project director Janet Attarian, enthusiastically running the show, is proud to announce that over 150 alleys have been completed to date.

The program’s use of innovative environmental technologies incorporates highly-reflective pavements, darksky compliant lighting (which reduces light pollution),

and pervious pavement options in which concrete or asphalt are specially mixed to allow water to drain through them. This lets up to 80% of captured rainwater infiltrate the subsoil and recharge the groundwater system. As illustrated in its Green Alley Handbook, Chicago’s Department of Streets and Sanitation applies one of many combinations of these technologies to every new alley renovation project.

The program began with five test alley installations in fall 2006, allowing the Dept. of Streets and Sanitation to try out different pervious pavement mixes, which were relatively new to them. Engineers spent over a year in a laboratory testing core samples from these alleys to find a mix suitable for Chicago’s harsh climate. Once tests produced an appropriate mix, city crews had to find an appropriate maintenance protocol (keeping pores clear is vital to the function of these porous pavements).

They found the typically prescribed method of pressure washing only made matters worse. Fortunately, testing showed that Chicago’s ‘Pelican’ street sweeper (set on dry mode) could effectively clear clogged pores. This procedure is done twice each year in the spring and fall.

These efforts to improve the alley system are paid for with city taxes, and have left some residents feeling money could be better allocated to improved trash and recycling services. But overall, the city has been supportive of the program. Attarian says that the program has achieved nearly 70% public approval from an independent survey.

The Green Alley Handbook extends the responsibility to residents by suggesting strategies and methods to further these efforts. These include incorporation of permeable pavements within private property, rain barrels and rain gardens to capture roof runoff, and green roofs on garages to soak up rainfall. By promoting recycling, composting of kitchen scraps, and planting shade trees, the Green Alley Program extends beyond the venue of alleys as a catalyst for change throughout the city fabric.

One might ask, ”how this is relevant to Denver?” These ideas are not only sound but necessary in anticipation of Metro Denver’s projected growth to more than 4 million people by 2035. Denver’s Metro Vision 2035 Plan lists a

goal of a 10 percent increase in urban density by 2035, and foresees 50 percent of new housing in urban centers.

This dramatic boom in infill development will place a burden on Denver’s aging infrastructure as well as its natural capital. The availability of clean water will play a major role in determining Denver’s carrying capacity. Chicago’s techniques of using porous pavement, rain retention systems, and recycled materials could improve water quality in Denver, but due our water laws, available quantity would not be increased.

“What works in Chicago will not necessarily work for the rest of the world,” says At-

tarian, but “there’s not many climates worse than Chicago.” For some of Denver’s City staff, climatic concerns are only part of the issue. Cracking or “spauling” in porous concrete around Denver has not impressed Terry Baus, program manager with the wastewater management division of the dept. of public works. Engineers at Denver’s Wastewater Management Administrative Building are currently testing porous asphalt and permeable pavers adjacent to its Central Campus Facility Complex location.

While the porous asphalt has proven to plug easily over time, limiting its infiltration ability, the pavers have per-

Baus notes that in addition to performance, permeable pavers have a “visually aesthetic” appearance “perhaps adding value to the building and adjacent property.” Other porous asphalt tests have shown formed very well.

positive results, like the installation of several parking stalls on the Auraria Campus and a larger installation in Aurora’s Super Wal-Mart parking lot. These parking areas only carry a temporary load, which does not quite compare with the weekly route of a hefty garbage truck. “I think alleys are an underutilized opportunity,” says Baus.

From a water quality point of view, he is excited about the cleansing capabilities of porous systems. He suggests a thorough analysis of Denver alleys to determine potential candidates for a pilot program.

A rigorous process of soils, water, and pavement mix

testing is vital to any project’s success. “We’re not averse to trying anything,” declares Pat Kennedy, engineering supervisor in the street maintenance division of the Denver Dept. of Public Works. He is directly involved with Denver’s Unimproved Alley Program and makes decisions affecting road and alley construction procedures. Already, 95 percent of standard asphalt mix designs use 25 percent recycled materials. With the planned renovation of unpaved alleys in the next few years, the opportunity for testing new pavement mixes is there. Kennedy lists several roadblocks to a green alley program in Denver: porous concrete’s low compressive strength, complicated maintenance, and difficulty of repairs. The weight of trash collection trucks may be too much for porous concrete to handle. Permeable pavers have more load-bearing capacity, but come with a much higher price tag. He also notes the difficulty in patching porous pavements over conventional ones. Kennedy suggests, however, that a combination of conventional and porous pavements, laid out appropriately, could be a viable solution.

“Denver already has a reputation as a green city”, says Cindy Bosco an environmental scientist from the Office of the Mayor who also works with Greenprint Denver. With efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve water quality, and promote renewable energy sources, Denver shows its green consciousness. Pilot-testing has begun for low impact development techniques around the city including green roofs, tree-vaults in rights-of-way, bioswales along roads, and permeable parking lots. Bosco is excited about the expansion of green infrastructure and low-impact development in Denver, as Chicago has demonstrated. “Our experts continue to maintain that our better opportunity to capture stormwater (to slow it down and treat it for water quality) may be in parking lots or other areas that receive less truck traffic, to get the best bang for the buck,” says Bosco. In addition to concerns about traffic, she is worried that intense sunlight and big swings in temperature, which occur almost daily in Denver, could hinder the longevity of porous asphalt and concrete. She also mentions that Denver’s power company, Xcel Energy, has a lease on the public alleys,

and would need to approve of light fixture retrofit before a dark-sky program could begin.

It is important to adapt an idea to environmental conditions before replication. Denver’s climate may not be suitable for a program as extensive as Chicago’s. Use of highly reflective pavements and recycled materials seems relatively simple to implement, but dark-sky compliant lighting and especially pervious pavement poses a real challenge. Although testing has begun, more research is necessary to adapt permeable pavement technologies to Denver’s semi-arid western climate. The ball is rolling.

Wheels are in motion. With pilot green alley projects already underway in Detroit, Baltimore, Los Angeles, Seattle, and Portland, it’s evident that Chicago’s influence has reached many other cities. Perhaps one day in the near future Denver will join the list. “We had no idea this was going to become such a hot topic” says Attarian.

References Daley, Richard M. 2007. Chicago Green Alley handbook: an action guide to create a greener, environmentally sustainable Chicago. Chicago, Ill: Dept. of Transportation.

Fiegel, Erin. “Chicago’s Green Alleys: Permeable Pavement Used to Alleviate Flooding.” Green Building, Energy Efficient Home and Buildings, Sustainable Architecture and Development with Concrete. Concrete Thinking. Web. 22 Apr. 2011. <http://www.concretethinker.com/casestudies/Chicago-Green-Alleys.aspx>.

Hoyer, Sharon. “Sustainability in Back: Chicago’s Green Alley Program.” Worldchanging: Bright Green. 17 Apr. 2009. Web. 22 Apr. 2011. <http://www.worldchanging.com/ archives/009756.html>.

Kriscenski, Ali. “CHIGAGO’S NEXT LEAD: The Green Alley Project | Inhabitat - Green Design Will Save the World.” Green Design Will save the World | Inhabitat. 22 Dec. 2007. Web. 22 Apr. 2011. <http://inhabitat.com/chicagos-next-lead-the-green-alley-project/>.

Saulny, Susan. “In Miles of Alleys, Chicago Finds Its Next Environmental Frontier - New York Times.” The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia.

26 Nov. 2007. Web. 22 Apr. 2011. <http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/26/us/26chicago. html>.

Interviews Janet Attarian, AIA, LEED AP, Project Director, Streetscape and Sustainable Design Program, Chicago Department of Transportation. Telephone interview, April 18, 2011.

Group interview, April 19, 2011.

Terry R. Baus, PE, Program Manager, Wastewater Management Division, Denver Department of Public Works, Cindy Bosco, Environmental Scientist II, Office of the Mayor. & Pat Kennedy, PE, Engineering Supervisor, Street Maintenance Division, Denver Department of Public Works.