The trade association Interpave has just published another of its ‘Master-Planning with Paving’ case studies – updated and expanded with recent site visits.
It looks at how precast concrete surfaces, including permeable paving, form an important part of the hard landscaping palette of PRP - a major practice involved with a diversity of projects.
PRP is one of the world’s largest multidisciplinary practices, specialising in sustainable residential and mixed-use design. It has a specialist Landscape division, involved from the start in master-planning projects alongside its other designers and consultants.
The Interpave case study explores several major new housing schemes, each with phases at a different stage of development ranging from early design through to completion on site. It demonstrates an exemplary approach where PRP consider detailed design and execution on site to be central to successful hard landscaping.
It also showcases how precast concrete block and flag paving and kerbs - with their distinct, modular units and designed variations in colour, texture and shape - can give visual interest and a human scale not possible with monotonous, formless materials.
In recent years, Interpave manufacturers have transformed this concept, moving away from simple, regular patterns and colours to expand an extensive palette of styles, shapes, colours and textures to meet current demands in urban design. These can match – and often exceed – the visual qualities of materials such as stone. This is a valid and sustainable interpretation of the requirement for ‘local materials’ in current planning guidelines.
The case study is part of a series exploring the application of current approaches to master-planning, urban design and ‘place shaping’, focusing on external surfaces. These topics are discussed in more detail in Interpave’s Planning with Paving document.
