Monarc Construction also built a green infiltration system
that absorbs the water that falls on the site while providing
children a safe place to play. It includes an underground
storage area that begins two feet below the surface and
allows the water to slowly trickle out. Monarc Construction
built the storage area by digging a hole, lining it with several
inches of gravel and then topping that with another layer
of permeable membrane that prevents dirt from filling the
voids in the gravel.
“Above ground, in the areas where the children play, we
have either a permeable rubber mat, grass or landscaping,
making the entire site permeable and disconnected from
the storm water sewers,” said Bellingham.
The parking area is permeable as well, constructed of
concrete made without fine aggregates, commonly known
as no-fines concrete. “You take 3/ 4 - 3/ 8 -inch stone, mix it with
cement in a ratio of one to four and it becomes a structural
material when you place it. It consolidates, but allows the
water to be absorbed into the voids in the concrete. This is
a commonly used basic material in the United Kingdom,”
Bellingham noted.
The no-fines parking lot is similar to one that the company
built at Nationals Park. Bellingham said a six-inch slab with 25
percent voids can handle most of the rainstorms in the area.
“You get 1.5 inches of water stored in those voids before you
even see it,” he said.
Handling stormwater in the parking areas was relatively easy
for Monarc Construction, since the company has done similar
green projects in the past. But finding sufficient parking to
meet zoning requirements was another matter.
“In accordance with Virginia zoning code, we would have
needed 36 spaces on the site. There wouldn’t have been
any room for the playgrounds or the butterfly gardens,”
Bellingham said. However, there was a City/County park
located right next to the property, used primarily for baseball,
softball and soccer games, which had a large parking lot.
“The development team made the case that the number of
parking spaces needed could be waived or reduced since
the teachers and parents could use the nearby street and the
public parking at the park andwalk to the school,”said Snyder.
A new gate in the fence surrounding the park provides easy
access to the space for teachers and students.
The City of Falls Church contributed $50,000 in additional
funding to improve the Hunton Avenue approach to the
building.“The road was in terrible condition, so we convinced
the engineers who were working on the site plan for the
project to redesign the street, narrowing it by a couple of feet
so we could have an ADA-accessible, well-lit sidewalk to the
building. We didn’t have the design capability for that,” said
Snyder. Monarc Construction built the sidewalk and the City
repaved the asphalt street.
More space for needed services
The Easter Seals Child Development Center officially opened
its Hunton Avenue facility on November 18, 2013. All 82 of its
students transferred to the new center, which is less than a
mile away from the previous location on North Cherry Street.
The new building has the capacity to accommodate 162
children, both typically developing children and children with
developmental issues. It is open from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
every day.
“THE PHOTOVOLTAIC SOLAR PANELS ARE PRODUCING
MORE THAN 50 PERCENT OF THE ENERGY CONSUMED
IN THE BUILDING, AROUND 46,000 KILOWATT-HOURS
PER YEAR. IT’S ONE OF THE BIGGEST SYSTEMS IN
NORTHERN VIRGINIA” – John Bellinghan, president,
Monarc Construction
Monarc Construction transformed an unattractive building and vacant lot into a bright, welcoming
day care center that provides the surrounding community with a much-needed service
10 Building Washington
