Frequently Asked Questions (Why this method works)

          Upon being questioned about what people think about the location shown above, many individuals may look at this particular parking lot and simply state, "It's a parking lot. It doesn't get more complicated than that." But as Engineers, we must all think of ways to improve anything, whether it be to make a simple task simpler, or create a more visually appealing environment. 
          

                                                        Questions that Individuals may ask

Q: "It's just a Parking Lot.." What is the intention of creating this Infrastructure? 

A: Individuals that utilize this parking lot may raise this question. Although they might believe that the parking lot is doing it's job in providing parking spaces for surrounding students and employees, they fail to notice the flaws that this particular parking lot contain. One of the many flaws that this parking lot has is the issue of collecting standing water due to an un-leveled pavement from years of deterioration. Not only is this pavement deteriorated, but it also allows for unwanted water to infiltrate into the ground. Our intended solution is to not only re-level the pavement within the lot, but also to provide a type of permeable asphalt called, "Porous Asphalt" for the individuals who choose to park at 3003 JFK Blvd. Porous Asphalt, with proper design and installation, can be proven to be cost-effective, promote infiltration, improve water quality, and eliminate detention basins. Detention basins are excavated areas to prevent against flooding and downstream erosion by storing water for a limited period of time.



Q: Where would all of the water end up?

A: By initially designing and estimating the area required to create our drainage plan through the use of "Google Maps Pro" we can display the entire drainage area plan. This drainage area plan will show different elevation levels and demonstrate the direction of the flow of the water. The Porous Asphalt will be the main infiltrator, as well as the surrounding agriculture within the curb enclosures. (The Stormwater drainage plan will also be assisted by agricultural use, followed by several inches of dirt below) The curb enclosures are designed to have storm water approach into the enclosure from the entire circumference of the concrete slab. If the agriculture begins to overflow, it will flow into the surrounding sewage systems and into a larger reservoir of water (Typically a Detention Basin).



Q: What's the estimated amount of time to complete a Model that represents the Infrastructure?


A: 

The Project Timeline shown above displays the expected duration of the entire development of this model. It details what will be completed week-by-week over the duration of Ten weeks in terms of research, calculations, and the actual design itself. This model will be created initially through "Sketch-Up" electronically, and then created through a 3-D Printer physically. Since it is extremely complicated and difficult to create the model all in one piece, the deliverable model will be 3-D printed into separate pieces.


Q: How many parking spaces would 3003 JFK BLVD lose after building the Infrastructure?

A: The reason why the total amount of parking spaces will decrease after creating the infrastructure is because of the issue of structural integrity. The parking lot has an estimated total of 700 parking spaces. Roughly 20% of the 700 parking spots would be lost due to implementing curbing enclosures with asphalt-leveled dirt to provide optimum water infiltration. Theoretically, the parking lot should consist of just under 600 parking spots after the renovation has been completed with the implemented infrastructures.

Q: How does Porous Asphalt Work?

A: Rather than typical asphalt and concrete, Porous/Permeable Asphalt allow water to run through the surface. When these types of infiltrating systems installed, it can remove the need for curb gutters and storm sewers. The permeable asphalt allows water to percolate and seep into the asphalt into a cleansing layer of gravel. This gravel (or stone) acts as a filter, removing the pollutants from the storm water.

Q: How large is this particular Parking Lot?

A: The parking lot stretches for an approximate length of 1,050 feet and an approximate width of 150 feet. The total area of the entire lot is approximately 150,000 square feet (Approximately 14,000 meters). This parking lot is rated to hold roughly 700 normal-sized cars at it's current state. Each parking space has the dimensions of 9 feet by 18 feet which is sufficient for the normal-sized vehicle.

"Location Location Location..."

            
 Figure A) Parking Lot: Comparison with the rest of Drexel

Figure C) Curb Bump-Out

 Figure B) Parking Lot: Further In-depth view of location's current state

As many individuals often state: "Location Location Location..." This statement often means that the locationyou choose will depend on the success of the establishment created. In our particular situation, it is quite theopposite since the intention of this specific infrastructure is to improve the appeal of the surrounding establishments, giving an overall aesthetically pleasing vibe. Not only will creating a new infrastructure provide a more appealing surrounding, but it will also benefit the businesses involved. "Businesses committed to stormwater reduction and management can earn stormwater credits, recognition and other rewards" (Philadelphia Water Department, 2017).  

The motive of this particular project is to create a more efficient flow of natural rainfall and prevent overflow in the general area, all while creating a more aesthetically appealing view to compete with the rest of the Drexel University Campus.  The main issue with this particular region of the University is that it lacks the aesthetic appeal that the rest of the campus displays. Unfortunately, due to the lack of ingenuity in terms of water flow design, this particular location truly highlights it's capability of having surface runoff. 

The images shown (Figure C) displays the current situation of the designated location of renovation. This particular location is fairly close to the Innovation Studio, as it is directly behind the rear door entrance to 257A/B. As a group, we had visited the site and depicted what we had thought was an issue in terms of being GSI compatible. The sidewalk (Shown in the image to the right) is fairly wide and constantly collects standing water during heavy rainfall. The sidewalk was estimated to be around roughly 13 to 15 feet, which provides a great platform for placing additional infrastructure to guide the rainfall elsewhere. Curb Bump-Outs (shown below) along with the addition of small-sized trees are capable of rerouting the water. Since the curb is overwhelmingly large enough for pedestrians to simply walk on, allowing the development of curb bump-out infrastructures is extremely feasible, as long as the budget does not exceed it's limit. Another issue that rises within this parking lot is the "emptiness" of the actual parking lot itself. Not only is the pavement becoming cracked, leading to soil erosion and improper infiltration, but it is also generally flat which leads to a large collection of standing water.  

The motive of this particular project is to create a more efficient flow of natural rainfall and prevent overflow in the general area, all while creating a more aesthetically appealing view to compete with the rest of the Drexel Campus.

Background Importance of Water Management

Figure A

Understanding the importance of developing additional architectural monuments is crucial in order to fathom the use of Green Stormwater Infrastructures (GSI). The catalyst that motivates this project to move forward is the issue of improper management of rainfall flowing through Watersheds, causing detrimental effects towards the surrounding environment. These detrimental effects include countless amounts of deterioration within our own community. Many sources such as Urbanization and imperfected sub-level water systems contribute to waterway degradation. Urbanization plays a huge role in contributing to such degradation due to the fact that the rainfall simply does not dissolve into asphalt. Figure A shows that with asphalt covering the ground, only 0%-20% of the rainfall actually infiltrates into the ground, while 80%-100% of the rainfall becomes runoff, overflowing the city's sub-level system. For the water that barely seeps into the ground and infiltrates the porous concrete sidewalks, Unfortunately, this cycle of detrimental effects continue to reoccur due to the existence of the Water Cycle. A reasonable and feasible option that will decrease the amount of runoff and overflow into the sub-level systems is to create an additional system, but above the ground. This intended infrastructure must serve not only as a system of redirecting rainfall and water flow, but also must provide an aesthetically pleasing experience to the community.  

** The video included at the bottom of the Blog post displays the initial effects of surface runoff **