This Week's
Construction Update
A whirlwind of
activity resumed at the site last week following
the resolution of the drivers' strike hampering
construction deliveries across the City. Concrete
was poured to finalize the west playground
retaining wall, and new granite curbs were
installed along the northern edge of the site. The
curbs are a first step toward completion of the
underground tree insulation wall, sidewalk and
tree pits intended to line 17th Street. Efforts to
excavate, clean and underpin the pavilion
structure to support the basement offices also
continued.
Now that the
retaining walls have begun to take shape, the full
extent of the expanded playground is clearly
evident. Delivery of soil last week further
delineated the playground and now gives a sense of
where landscaped areas will teem with beautiful
new plant life.
This week,
soil will be delivered to backfill the
tree pit trench along 17th Street, and lighting
conduits will be installed along the length of the
northern perimeter. Once this work is done, the
temporary pedestrian walkway will be relocated
from the center of the site to its northern edge.
Pavement removal will then commence, clearing the
way to begin installation of the plaza's site
drainage system.
Question of the
Week
Question:
Why are different soil types necessary to sustain
project landscaping?
Answer:
Soil content and layering for the North End
Project has been engineered to maximize the
lifespan of trees and shrubs given the site's
dense urban context. The deepest soil layer
consists of six inches of porous
sand spread over the landscape
underdrain structure. The
middle planting layer, where the bulk
of root systems will be located, will
consist of a mix of soil and sand that will
prevent soil from compacting and thereby
facilitate healthy root growth. The top
layer will consist of approximately six to
twelve inches of organically rich soil that will
percolate down through the tree root
systems and provide them with valuable
nutrients. Each autumn, when leaves fall to
the tree pits and playground, organic matter
will again replenish the topsoil on an annual
basis.
