Maplewood Nature Center contacted Nolan King this summer in order to inspire and create an aesthetically pleasing rainwater irrigation system for the public to enjoy. This system was designed to collect the rainwater through the building’s downspout, which then transfers the water through a water trough, where the water trickles down a chain system into the custom designed planter box. Here the water feeds the plants and flowers, and then is routed through another trough to a secondary planter box, and ultimately travels through a decorative concrete channel partially under the sidewalk to a large rain garden across the way. The custom designed planter box was designed by Nolan King. Many hours were spent sculpting the clay relief which was of great blue herons, cattails, and miscellaneous critters. The image was then sprayed with a rubber membrane by Paul Nasvick, Milestone Inc., which then became the form liner used inside the symon forms. Cemstone provided an ICF concrete mix, which was acid stained with Scolfield’s Faded Terra Cotta that created a very rustic, natural feel to the concrete surface of the planter box. The ultimate design of the planter box incorporated a mixed media of concrete, steel, wood and stone.
On the opposite side of the building we created a rain water channel next to a roman slate stamped concrete sidewalk. The channel will have a rain collection barrel at the starting point, which will have an on/off valve for kids to feed the rain gardens at the end of the channel.
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