ICPI Foundation for Education & Research

Tags: Education, Foundation, Foundation Programs, ICPI Foundation, Industry, Research, Segmental Concrete Pavement

The Foundation positions the segmental concrete pavement industry for a stronger and more predictable future.

The Foundation's mission is to provide educational and research programs designed to benefit the concrete paver industry and users. It accomplishes this by:

  • Developing educational resources that optimize manufacturing, construction operations and maintenance, that demonstrate superior value, while encouraging acceptance by the design and construction communities; and,
  • Supporting, conducting and disseminating research and technical studies that enhance and improve knowledge.

PROGRAMS

ICPI Foundation Engages University of Georgia to Create Online University Curriculum
The ICPI Foundation for Education and Research has engaged the University of Georgia’s College of Environmental Design to create an online curriculum on segmental concrete pavement for landscape architecture students. Heading the project team is Professor Doug Pardue, ASLA, who will develop a web-based curriculum for university landscape architecture educators and students in the U.S. and Canada. The project is the first one initiated by the Foundation.

The content consists of nine modules applicable to a wide array of landscape design education areas including studios, labs, ecologic and construction courses that pertain to segmental concrete pavement. The modules were formulated through curriculum design charrettes to generate online and offline materials. These materials include interactive media, downloadable presentations, individual and group exercises, and self assessments, all reinforced through hyperlinks to each other. To develop engaging visual module elements that support landscape architecture students’ graphic modes of learning, the project team engaged consultants from UGA’s Center for Teaching and Learning. The modules include History, Technology, Sustainability, Technical Modules, Urban Design, Community Design and Studio Modules.

Each module includes instructor materials such as keys and guides, the modules allow for guided instruction in addition to self-learning. Instructors may moderate discussions, assist in online navigation, or download and utilize offline materials such as exercises and presentations. This approach enables instructors to have flexibility in the use and timing of content incorporation. Team exercises such as role playing allow students to work together to solve problems, aid one another and develop social skills and cooperation. Modules employ techniques to use the power of teamwork to build group knowledge of particular subjects such as construction or place making. These exercises could be moderated and guided by the instructor or simply assigned. The curriculum was critiqued by Canadian landscape architecture professors to help ensure its use among Canadian as well as U.S. university landscape architecture programs. The expected delivery of the completed curriculum is summer 2011.

ICPI Foundation - University of New Hampshire Stormwater Center Reseach Project on PICP
The University of New Hampshire Stormwater Center (UNHSC) is evaluating permeable interlocking concrete pavement (PICP) in a cold climate.  The project is overseen by Professor Rob Roseen who is well known for cold climate research on porous asphalt and pervious concrete at UNHSC.  The test site replaced an existing 14,000 square foot asphalt road in the UNH campus center with PICP.  The program involves monitoring runoff, pollutants and temperatures for two years.

UNHSC has collected runoff pollutant data from an adjacent asphalt road and will compare this data to pollutant concentrations in water released by the PICP base.  Monitoring of the PICP area will start with the spring thaw.  The project intends to demonstrate that PICP can perform without heaving in the severe winters.  In addition, it is expected to show that PICP can significantly reduce pollutants when the subgrade is moderately sloped.  The pavement's performance will be compared to that of pervious concrete and porous asphalt currently under evaluation.

The project is jointly funded by UNHSC, ICPI, the ICPI Foundation, contributions from eight member companies, and a contribution from the New England Concrete Masonry Association and the New England Cement Shippers Association.  The UNHSC contract includes two outreach seminars on permeable pavements in the fall of 2011 and 2012 for regional and state stormwater agency personnel.

 

If you are interested in submitting a proposal for the Foundation, please review the Foundation Proposal Guidelines.

To learn more about the Endowment Campaign, please contact ICPI at (703) 657-6900 or icpi@icpi.org.