Decorative asphalt prints gaining popularity in cities worldwide

by Lee Toop

From the September/October 2007 issue of Government Buyer

Roadways in a Burnaby, B.C. shopping centre are brightened by the addition of StreetPrint crosswalks, which provide visibility and traction for pedestrians.

Back in the early 1990s, a paving contractor in the British Columbia interior working on stamped concrete thought back to when he had accidentally dropped a wrench onto a fresh asphalt slab and rolled over it – leaving a perfect imprint that remained afterwards.

That wrench made a big impression, one that eventually became the basis for Integrated Paving Concepts and a product that has been used in countries around the world, creating decorative asphalt patterns for crosswalks, driveways, and many other features.

IPC’s StreetPrint system, which uses an infrared heating system to soften asphalt and a variety of templates that are then imprinted into the surface to create a decorative pattern, has been used as far off as the Canary Islands and Brunei. Closer to home, many cities, including Los Angeles and Boston, are using StreetPrint and the newer DuraTherm decorative treatment to liven up their streets and walkways. Residential projects such as driveways are also a popular use for the product, with traditional and customized patterns available.

“We’ve touched a nerve, and the reason for that is that asphalt makes sense as a horizontal surface – it’s used in most roads around the world, and this, as a decorative treatment, is a very logical and practical way of doing things compared to other alternatives,” commented Cleve Stordy, Integrated Paving Concepts Vice-President, Government Markets. “Depending on the market, we’re very cost-competitive, and in some cases quite a bit less expensive than stamped concrete for pavers. We also install faster, so there’s less inconvenience to the community and the public, and in addition to installing faster, we have a huge range of design and colour capability as well.”

Installers licensed

A Western Canadian company that has stayed true to its roots, IPC got its start in 1992 when a concept somewhat like stamped concrete was brought to fruition by a paving contractor. StreetPrint was the basis of that early operation, which licenses installers to use proprietary processes for installation of the various products the company offers, Stordy pointed out.

Today, there are about 200 licensed installers in the network throughout North America, and product has been installed in around 50 countries.

The ease of installation and fl exibility of the product is what has grown its appeal, Stordy said.

“After the asphalt has been installed, it is reheated using a proprietary reciprocating heating system that gradually heats the asphalt to the point where it’s pliable without risking burning it. Once that’s done, we take a template made of high-tension steel cable that’s welded together into whatever pattern you may desire – it’s almost unlimited in design potential,” he said. “The template is laid on the surface, and a large reversible plate compactor literally hammers the template into the asphalt.”

The template leaves an impression in the asphalt once lifted free. Once it’s out of the ground, the StreetBond coating, developed by IPC for use on asphalt, is placed down.

“The coating, when applied properly, won’t peel or delaminate, or do any of the things you might see, say, a tennis court coating do,” Stordy said. “It uses proprietary acrylic polymers and epoxies, and is very durable.”

Range of colours

StreetBond comes in a range of colours, and there are a number of prepared patterns available that emulate the look of brick, slate and cobble as well as other decorative forms. Customized patterns can be done as well, depending on the customer’s needs.

“I’ve seen things like a Scottish terrier silhouette, different tonalities in the bricks – through the creativity of the designer, installer and homeowner, StreetPrint lends itself to all sorts of custom designs,” noted Gabriel Pineda, IPC marketing manager.

Since StreetPrint was introduced, installers have placed more than 50 million square feet around the world, Pineda said. Projects have ranged from a cruise ship terminal in the Canary Islands to works at Disney parks in Europe, Hong Kong and Japan. Major installations have taken place in cities like Los Angeles, Boston and New York, as well as Toronto and many areas around Vancouver.

The StreetBond coating itself is also used for delineation of bicycle lanes and pathways in some places, Stordy noted. While StreetPrint is durable and longlasting, the company noted that a high-traffi c product was needed for some projects, especially for areas where governments might need less liability, Stordy said.

“There is a need for a very durable product under high traffi c loading, where products such as brick pavers, stamped concrete and the like incur high maintenance liabilities for government when used in roadways with high traffi c,” he commented. “When they fail, they create potential liability with slip and fall hazards. We, from this, have developed another product called DuraTherm, a decorative treatment for crosswalks that is specifi cally designed for high traffi c applications.”

High traffic version

DuraTherm is a thermal plastic product, rather than a coating treatment, that is bonded with the asphalt to form a permanent marking.

“We stamp the asphalt just like with StreetPrint, but instead of using a woven wire cable, we use a thicker, wider plastic template to make a waffl e-like impression in softened asphalt,” explained Pineda. “Within those impressions, we lay pre-cut sheets of thermal plastic material, which exactly match the template, and then do a second pass with the heating machine that melts the thermal plastic and permanently fuses it to the asphalt.”

The result is a marking that is thick and fl ush with the asphalt surface, which will last under traffi c and diffi cult conditions. “It’s a very practical product – people responsible for maintaining roads see the sense in it. It’s quick to install and eliminates the issue of traffi c downtime, and it mitigates the maintenance issue,” Stordy pointed out.

Special designs can be done with DuraTherm as well, he said, noting that Los Angeles has recently placed crosswalks with traditional motifs in three of its ethnic neighbourhoods.

Along with its key products, IPC also carries other products through a strategic relationship with an American company, Ennis Paint, which is the largest thermoplastic manufacturer in North America.