GEOPAVE Gravel Pavers

Project Name: Black Page Brewery / H-Town Brewing Co

Project Location: Houston, Texas

The Black Page Brewery, now operating as H-Town Brewing Co., is located on the banks of Little White Oak Bayou, a slow-moving watershed in Houston, Texas, that connects to the city’s principal waterway. Constructed on the site of a former candy facility, the Black Page Brewery owners renovated a 1940-built warehouse into a production brewery, which opened in early October 2022. The brewery’s beer garden is right on the banks of the bayou, surrounded by trees and wildlife, secluded from the “hustle and bustle” of Houston. Across from the beer garden lies the parking lot, which was repaired to meet the City of Houston’s (COH) detention requirements.

Porous Parking Lot Addresses Flooding Concerns

Given the brewery’s location in a floodplain area, the goal was to create a porous parking system capable of withstanding potential flooding or intense rain events. Additionally, the parking area needed to accommodate significant traffic flows, necessitating a system robust enough to handle heavy usage. For the final design, the owners prioritized aesthetic appeal, opting for the most visually pleasing pavers that could incorporate handicap delineators.

The initial project pavement design involved a substantial layer of screened rock, which proved to be cost-prohibitive. In seeking an alternative, the owners discovered the GEOPAVE® Gravel Pavers, which not only offered a more economical solution but also provided the required durability and aesthetic appeal.

Results:

Collaborating with Presto Geosystems’ material supplier, Geosolutions Inc., Safe Flow Utilities Inc., the contractor, successfully introduced the GEOPAVE Permeable Pavers with Mirafi HP270. This innovative solution exceeded all the required criteria, effectively demonstrating its exceptional suitability for the project.

Through on-site soil testing, the contractor effectively implemented the use of the GEOPAVE Gravel Pavers and a drainable, compactable aggregate over Mirafi HP270. After several storm events, the system demonstrated outstanding performance. The contractor even managed to install handicap and parking spots via the GEOPAVE SNAP Delineators, aligning with the owner’s visual specifications.

This approach negated the need for subgrade stabilization and enabled a reduction in the thickness of aggregate required in the base course section, all while providing a solution to address past and future moisture-related issues in the lot.