Ave Maria, FL
Diamond Pro Stone Cut® Provides Economical Alternative, Enhanced Aesthetics and Reduced Maintenance for Town Water Management.
Every Project Starts with a Purpose
While best known as the founder of Domino’s Pizza and the owner of the Detroit Tigers baseball franchise, Thomas S. Monaghan also had another vision: to create a Catholic town and university from the ground up. After years of hard work and preparation, Ave Maria, Florida, was created in 2003.
Located near Naples and Immokalee, Florida, Ave Maria was the largest construction zone in the United States at the time. Included in the development are homes, businesses, roadways and a full-scale university, complete with residence halls, administrative buildings and athletic facilities.
Naples-based Outside Productions took on the challenge of creating construction plans for the approximately 106,000 square feet of retaining wall, including planter walls, land bridges and a large detention pond—something especially important in the damp Florida climate. Ave Maria was created on turf farms, tomato farms and citrus groves. Unique challenges included limited utilities, flat topography and constructing a new landscape at the same time as several new buildings.
The Challenge
As a research center, the Reserve has incorporated many green building materials and construction techniques over the last decade. Until June 2014, the parking lot area of the Reserve consisted of just over 16,000 SF of impervious asphalt and approximately 2,900 SF of pervious grass pave system. The grass pave system stopped functioning properly due to poor water infiltration likely caused by compaction of the underlying soil or gravel. Parking lot runoff contributed to slope erosion near one of the trails and excess sediment loading into the estuary.
The Solution
Solving for Style, Function, and Durability
The original conceptual sketches called for the planter walls to be poured-in-place concrete. However, at the time, concrete prices were soaring and Outside Productions sought out the Diamond Pro Stone Cut ® wall system as an alternative. Outside Productions chose the product because of its appearance and affordability. According to Rebecca Scheffler of Outside Productions, Diamond Pro Stone Cut blocks “would provide a clean-lined, light-colored wall that would be similar to poured-in-place concrete stucco. They were also incredibly easy to install.”
A segmental retaining wall also had the added benefit of reduced maintenance. The main hardscape feature of the development is the entrance sign and surrounding walls. This structure contains two 10-foot-high signs rising out of the detention pond, surrounded by large planter walls and an upper water feature.
The design also called for two connected water features. Water is pumped from a canal into the upper detention pond; if too much water flows into the pond, the water flows back into the canal. In order to maintain an even water level between pond and canal, the contractors had to construct a 24-inch pipe beneath a land bridge to channel the water.
In addition to the upper water feature, the town’s main entrance sign sits in front of a treated-water pond that is similar to the look of an infinity edge pool. This pond is surrounded by walls built with Diamond Pro Stone Cut product.
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The Result
A Lasting Impression:
The Final Transformation
Ave Maria has become a thriving town, and Ave Maria University now enrolls over 1,000 students on its newly completed campus. Outside Productions could not be more pleased with how their portion of the project turned out.
“It’s a great project. We continue to be really proud of it.” – Rebecca Scheffler, Outside Productions
PLAN + DESIGN
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Belgard isn’t just here to provide the product—we’re your partner in planning and design. From first ideas to final layout, we make it easy to bring your outdoor vision to life.
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We’ll listen to your needs, help identify the right products and design approach, and guide you toward a tailored solution that brings your outdoor vision to life.