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www.landscapeirrigation.com Landscape and Irrigation January/February 2015 25 along the Schuykill River and behind the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the restoration of the historic Italian Fountain and site improvements to the surrounding landscape turned what was for decades an isolated area into a pleasant park setting. The Olin Studio, working closely with the Philadelphia Department of Parks and Recreation and the Fairmount Water Works, chose Whitacre Greer's Permeable Boardwalk pavers to assist in achieving the project's stormwater management goals. The design turned a wide asphalt traffic circle into a pleasant parklike setting while maintaining a single lane of traffic. New landscape, gracious benches, beds of native plantings and a permeable brick paved plaza enhance the area and highlight the restored fountain. The Whitacre Greer colors frame and enhance the historic fountain and infiltrate the stormwater runoff. Delays in the restoration of the fountain compressed Tough Turf 's work schedule. Due to their experience, knowledge of installing brick pavers, permeable pavements, and open-graded aggregates, they completed the job on schedule. The biggest installation challenge was maintaining concentric circles using nine-inch-long narrow brick pavers. The crew executed the fit and finish perfectly. The final result exceeded the expectations of the landscape architect, the city of Philadelphia and the public. Category: Clay Brick - Residential Project Name: Front Yard Retreat: Downers Grove Residence Size: 4,000 square feet Location: Downers Grove, Ill. Manufacturer: Whitacre Greer Company Designer: George Murphy Contractor/Installer: George Murphy, landscape designer/ project manager, Bruss Landscaping, Inc. Project Description: Front yard retreat? That's right; the residents of this prairie-style home spend just as much time hanging out in the front yard as they do in the back. They wanted to incorporate a comfortable lounging area into their front yard without an overbearing or distracting entrance. Since this was an entire front yard renovation, the paving materials blend into the sitting area. Being a prairie-style home, all the hardscapes presented clean lines and complemented the house. Other than incorporating a sitting area, the homeowners had only one more request: They loved the Whitacre Greer "Old Chicago" paver and wanted it incorporated into the design. All of the landings, transition areas and sitting area were done with bluestone planking and an Old Chicago paver border. The walkways were paved with the Old Chicago pavers, laid in a herringbone pattern. The original layout of the driveway worked well, so the asphalt was replaced with Old Chicago pavers. All of the stonework was installed over a radiant heating system in an effort to make Chicagoland winters a little more bearable for the homeowners. Category: Combination - Commercial - Less than 20,000 sf Project Name: Eco-Healing Retreat Center Size: 5,500 square feet Location: Victoria, Minn. Manufacturer: Belgard pavers; natural stone from U.S. quarries; local concrete Designer: Becca Bastyr Contractor/Installer: Becca Bastyr, designer, Mom's Landscaping & Design, LLC Project Description: This client is a non-profit organization set on 146 acres of woodland whose focus is "eco-healing" while offering a nature retreat for small groups. The main goal of the client was to pay homage to the forested land by incorporating "natural" (i.e., stone) products, but also present a warm and inviting space as many guests are in the service industry (military, medical, education, etc.). The existing, poorly connected administration and hosting buildings did not offer easy and clear paths for people to access the buildings. The project's objectives were to increase parking space, create obvious and pleasant walkways (some had to be ADA compliant), and improve drainage. The upper natural stone retaining walls and paver driveway sweep improved the drainage from the hillside by directing water away from the two upper buildings. This project required three seasons to construct. Cutting through and down two hillsides increased parking from 4 to 15 using 2,000 square feet of stamped and colored concrete with natural stone parking stripes. The project involved installing dry and wet-laid walkways of approximately 3,500 square feet, plus build- ing and restoring multiple retaining walls.