The Natural History Museum of Utah was completed in 2010 and is home to one of the nations greatest natural collections. The mission of the museum is to showcase the wonders of the natural world and the place humans have within it. UMNH utilized state-of-the-art concrete paving to capture stormwater and keep this water on site.
This method of taking care of runoff is referred to as Low Impact Design (LID) and is the most environmentally responsible way to address runoff from new development. Shortly after the completion of the building the previous concrete paving began to deteriorate, resulting in accessibility challenges and requiring ongoing maintenance to sweep and vacuum the concrete, making the parking lot an unsightly start to a patron’s experience.
Ensign was initially hired by the University of Utah Facilities Department to evaluate the previous concrete, and determine if it could somehow be repaired. Ensign interviewed maintenance personnel and reviewed the original construction documents to determine why this parking lot deteriorated so quickly. After the review of the pavement Ensign provided several options for repair or replacement, along with the associated costs for each option.
Ensign presented each option to museum leadership, along with the U of U facilities department. The final recommendation was to replace the parking lot with a Permeable Concrete Paver (PCP) system. This would allow the museum to adhere to their environmentally responsible goals by keeping the storm runoff generally on site, by taking advantage of solar heat gain to melt much of the snow and ice. This solution is anticipated to last 50 years if properly maintained and provides a beautiful parking lot surface that museum-goers can enjoy.