Permeable Paving Solutions for Green Spaces
How Permeable Paving Works
Permeable paving relies on a graded stone base with high void space and a surface that allows water through. As rainfall infiltrates, it slows, filters, and recharges soil, reducing runoff while supporting healthier plants and resilient green spaces.
How Permeable Paving Works
From permeable interlocking concrete pavers to pervious concrete, porous asphalt, resin-bound aggregates, and grass pavers, each system manages stormwater differently. All share one goal: let water flow downward, not sideways into drains and streets.
Choosing the Right Materials
Pavers, Concrete, or Asphalt
Interlocking pavers excel in modular repair and aesthetics. Pervious concrete offers monolithic strength and good infiltration. Porous asphalt flexes with freeze thaw cycles, supporting comfortable walking and cycling in diverse climates and conditions.
Resin-Bound and Natural Aggregates
Resin-bound aggregates deliver smooth, elegant surfaces with reliable permeability. Gravel grids stabilize stones, cutting rutting and migration. Both pair beautifully with native plantings, supporting low maintenance pathways and gentle transitions through gardens.
Grass and Hybrid Options
Grass pavers balance green coverage with load-bearing capacity for overflow parking or service lanes. Hybrid systems combine materials to guide water toward rain gardens, bioswales, and tree pits, knitting landscapes together with functional, living infrastructure.
Designing for Storms and Soils
Calculate runoff using local design storms, then size the aggregate base for storage and controlled release. Account for infiltration rates, safety factors, and overflow pathways to make pathways and plazas reliable during heavy, fast moving rain events.
Confirm soil permeability with field tests and assess compaction risks. Use geotextiles or underdrains when needed, and preserve topsoil where vegetation thrives. Good subgrade preparation ensures long term infiltration, stability, and lasting surface performance.
Specify clean, well graded aggregate, stable edge restraints, and thoughtful joint widths. Direct runoff from adjacent hardscapes into permeable areas without overwhelming them, and use pretreatment strips to catch sediments before they clog precious pore spaces.
Maintenance That Protects Performance
Schedule regenerative air vacuuming or low pressure washing to remove fines before clogging occurs. Control nearby soil erosion, sweep debris after storms, and avoid excess sand that can settle into joints and slowly reduce infiltration capacity across seasons.
A city replaced a cracked asphalt loop with permeable pavers and stone base. The first summer thunderstorm arrived, and the puddles never formed. Joggers kept their rhythm, dragonflies hovered over nearby wetland edges, and maintenance calls quietly disappeared.
Biodiversity, Comfort, and Beauty
Direct surface flow into planted beds, bioswales, and tree trenches for natural filtration. Permeable edges nurture deeper roots, reduce compaction, and foster pollinator friendly plantings that turn functional infrastructure into living, seasonal theater for everyone.
Get Involved and Start Planning
Assess soils, slopes, and runoff sources. Identify maintenance capacity and budgets. Map flow paths toward plantings, and choose materials that fit climate. Share the plan with users early to build excitement and gather site specific insights and priorities.