Suitability to Area Shape

The design of a pavement pattern should be directly related to the shape of the over­all paved area. A paved area and its internal design go hand-in-hand and need to be considered in concert with one another. The following paragraphs outline fundamen­tal considerations for variously shaped paved areas.

Rectangular Areas The pattern within a rectangular pavement area can be treated in a number of ways depending on the material used and the complexity of the overall shape.

• Rectangular-shaped paving material such as stone, concrete pavers, and brick is compositionally most compatible when placed parallel to the sides of the pavement area. In addition, this orientation minimizes cutting of individual paving units at the edges.

• Borders, bands, and grids can easily be created within simple paved areas. These patterns can be either symmetrical or asymmetrical within the pave­ment, depending on the surrounding context and the degree of formality sought (Figure 12-46).

• Pattern lines and bands are best treated as extensions of corners and edges in complex rectangular paved areas (Figure 12-47).

Figure 12-46 Alternative examples of bands, borders, and/or grid patterns in a rectangular patio area.

Figure 12-47

Pattern edges and bands should be aligned with perimeter edges and corners of a pavement area.

Irregular Areas The pattern within an irregularly shaped or angular pavement area is usually more challenging to design because of the lack of parallel sides. Nevertheless, the following should be considered.

• Directional patterns or those composed of unit pavers should be oriented parallel to the most prominent pavement edge for visual compatibility and to minimize cutting of individual units.

• Similarly, borders and internal patterns can be created within simple paved areas if they parallel selected sides of the pavement and/or the adjoining house (Figure 12-48).

• Lines and bands are easily located to be extensions of the sides, cutting across the pavement surface to an opposite side (left side of Figure 12-49).

• Likewise, the pavement can be subdivided into smaller areas that echo the overall form (right side of Figure 12-49).

Circular Areas Designing a pavement pattern within a circle is often challenging be­cause many materials are themselves rectangular or linear in form and so do not lend themselves to curved edges. Wood is especially unsuitable to adapt to circular paved areas. Nevertheless, there are four fundamental approaches for establishing material patterns based on the internal geometry of the circle.

• Use the circle’s radii as the basis of a pattern. When employing this approach, care should be taken to study the center of the circle where the radii converge (Figure 12-50). Too many radii may create tight spaces between the radii and make it difficult to cut pavement units to fit. Placing a small circle at the cen­ter can solve this. This creates a wider distance between radii and eliminates acute angles.

• Use the concentric circles to create circular bands that are equal or varied in spacing (Figure 12-51).

• Use a combination of the two previous strategies. This approach creates the most possibilities for elaborate patterns (Figure 12-52).

• use a border to frame an independent internal pattern within a circular or semicircular pavement area (Figure 12-53).

Curvilinear Areas Curvilinear paved areas are the most challenging to design pat­terns within because of the complete lack of straight lines and edges. As previously

Figure 12-48

Alternative examples of aligning the pavement pattern with the edges and/or adjoining house in a diagonal patio design.

Figure 12-49 Different techniques for establishing pattern edges within an irregularly shaped pavement area.

Figure 12-50 Pavement patterns in circular areas can be based on radii guidelines.

Figure 12-51 Pavement patterns in circular areas can be based on concentric circle guidelines.

discussed, loose and adhesive materials are the easiest to conform to a curvilinear area. But straight lines can be introduced if the internal geometry of the shape is worked with. There are two basic techniques for creating a pattern within a curvilin­ear paved area.

• Use radii that extend from the center of the underlying circles within the curvilinear area to the outside edge. The radii should be placed so that they meet the pavement edge at a right angle. This is a common approach for lo­cating expansion joints within a curvilinear concrete pavement (left side of Figure 12-54).

• Use curved lines to subdivide the pavement into smaller areas. Again, the in­ternal curved lines should connect to the outside edge at a right angle (right side of Figure 12-54).