Composite Pavers
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September 19th, 2011 | Andy 
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VAST and AZEK Form Strategic Alliance
Press Release: AZEK® Building Products and VAST® Enterprises, LLC Establish Strategic Alliance
AZEK Has Made an Investment in VAST and Will Offer VAST Composite Masonry Products through the AZEK Distribution Channel
Scranton, PA and Minneapolis, MN – In an agreement signed on August 31, 2011, AZEK Building Products Inc., manufacturer of the leading brand of premium, low-maintenance, exterior building products, and VAST® Enterprises, LLC, the materials science research and manufacturing company that invented and patented Composite Masonry, have established a strategic alliance. The agreement, in which AZEK Building Products purchased an interest in VAST, makes the VAST brand available to AZEK’s extensive distribution network. AZEK and VAST will collaborate on sales and marketing initiatives to drive brand awareness among architects and contractors.
“Both companies manufacture highly engineered, low-maintenance, exterior products that offer exceptional performance and longevity,” said Eric Jungbluth, CEO of CPG International Inc., AZEK’s parent company. ”VAST Composite Masonry products represent the future of alternative paver materials, a category with enormous growth potential.”
“This partnership elevates the VAST brand and brings it to a much larger audience of architects, project planners and contractors,” said Andy Vander Woude, LEED AP, CEO, VAST Enterprises, LLC. ”AZEK has led the conversion from wood exterior trim and decking to cellular PVC, just as we are striving to establish composite pavers as a replacement for concrete and clay bricks in hardscapes.”
VAST Composite Masonry products — including landscape pavers, permeable pavers, roof pavers, and deck and patio resurfacing pavers — offer a superior value proposition. Manufactured with 95 percent post-consumer recycled rubber and plastics, they offer visual appeal, design flexibility, strength, and durability. VAST Composite Pavers are easy to install, and at one-third the weight of comparable concrete products, they are perfect for rooftop walkways, paths, patios, and decks.
Both AZEK Building Products and VAST Enterprises are committed to the future of green building materials. VAST product manufacturing to date has utilized material recycled from 285,000 scrap tires and 8.5 million plastic containers, diverting a total of more than five million pounds of rubber and plastics from U.S. landfills. The VAST manufacturing process also uses 95 percent less energy and produces 96 percent less in CO2 emissions than conventional pavers. VAST Composite Pavers contribute to more LEED credits than any other paver.
AZEK® Trim, AZEK Mouldings, AZEK Deck and AZEK Porch have received the NAHB Research Center’s “Green Approved” seal and are eligible to contribute points toward certification of a building under the National Green Building Standard™. CPG International also has a microsite to provide more details about the organization’s sustainability initiatives and position at www.CPGgreeninitiative.com.
For more information, visit AZEK Building Products’ website at www.azek.com. To learn more about VAST Enterprises, visit www.vastpavers.com.
August 19th, 2011 | Andy Follow Andy
VASTS Hits Huge Environmental Milestone
We are incredibly proud to announce that we recently passed 5 million pounds of recycled material saved from U.S. landfills!
Some additional environmental wins:
- Saved 285,000 tires and over 8.5 million plastic containers from U.S. landfills
- Prevented the release of 22.5 million pounds of CO2 from entering our atmosphere
- Saved over 68 billion BTUs of energy — that’s enough to heat 850 homes for a year
- Prevented the consumption over over 145,000 gallons of water
Congratulations to all VAST customers for making these impacts a reality.
Press Release: VAST® Enterprises Reaches Environmental Milestone: Installations of VAST® Composite Pavers Have Kept Five Million Pounds of Rubber and Plastics out of U.S. Landfills
Manufacturing the VAST Composite Pavers Installed to Date Utilized Materials Recycled from 285,000 Automobile Tires and 8.5 Million Plastic Containers
MINNEAPOLIS — August 17, 2011 — VAST® Enterprises, LLC announced that VAST® Composite Pavers installed through July 2011 have used a cumulative total of more than five million pounds of recycled rubber and plastics. The material came from a total of 285,000 scrap tires and 8.5 million plastic containers in the United States.
The embodied carbon footprint of VAST Composite Pavers is just four percent of the product average for concrete pavers. Thus, installing VAST pavers instead of concrete pavers for hardscaping and landscaping has prevented 22 million pounds of CO2 emissions. Using VAST has also saved 68 billion BTUs of energy.
“Engineering a composite material with up to 95 percent post-consumer recycled content was the first step,” said Troy Achterkirch, vice president, operations and engineering, VAST Enterprises, LLC. “Our materials science breakthrough was developing such a rubber-plastics composite with the performance characteristics to replace clay brick and molded concrete pavers. For hardscape and landscape projects, VAST Composite Pavers offer visual appeal, design flexibility, strength, and durability.”
“VAST Composite Pavers are the greenest paving material ever, and they can contribute to green building projects earning more LEED® credits than any other paver,” said Andy Vander Woude, LEED AP, chief executive officer, VAST Enterprises, LLC. “Even better, we engineer our composite masonry products to be not just green but much more than green. We design and manufacture our products to be superior to traditional paving materials.”
Products manufactured in VAST’s composite material are one-third the weight of concrete. That makes them easier to use, faster to install, and practical in applications for which conventional masonry is too heavy or cumbersome. VAST’s weight advantage makes it ideal for rooftop walkways, paths, patios and decks.
UV-treated and stain- and impact-resistant, VAST Composite Pavers look brilliant year after year with no annual maintenance. Unlike concrete, VAST’s composite material is impervious and withstands repeated freeze-thaw cycles without discoloring, deteriorating or cracking. VAST composite masonry products — including landscape pavers, permeable pavers, roof pavers, and deck and patio resurfacing pavers — are guaranteed not to crack under the VAST® Enterprises, LLC Limited Warranty.
Upcoming Tradeshow for VAST
VAST Enterprises will exhibit at Greenbuild, the world’s largest expo devoted to green building, October 4-6, 2011. Greenbuild will be held at the Metro Toronto Convention Center, Toronto, Canada. VAST will be at booth #6940S.
August 19th, 2011 | Andy Follow Andy
Land & Water Profiles Public Radio Station
“Raven Radio (KCAW), Sitka, Alaska, operates from the historic Alaska Ca- ble House. Built in 1908, the Cable House served as one of the first facilities for bringing telegraph service into the terri- tory. In 2010, the radio station undertook a two-part, 5,600 square-foot paving proj- ect that posed difficult problems given the location of the property and the require- ments for success.
For the driveway and parking area, two alternatives were considered: poured concrete and asphalt. Concrete pavers and clay brick are generally not considered for large paving projects in Alaska since their heavy weight makes them expensive to ship up to the state.
Asphalt would have cost less than a concrete slab but would need annual seal- ing. Concrete would last longer than asphalt, but cracking was a concern. Neither would have been especially visual- ly appealing. But durability, maintenance and aesthetic considerations were pushed to the side when the stormwater impact of
an impervious surface became evident. Runoff over a solid asphalt or concrete surface would tax the capacity of the next- door fuel depot’s containment system and oil/water separator. “The problem of grit, sand and debris carried along by stormwa- ter was as much a concern as the amount and speed of runoff. The fuel depot advised that their system could get clogged up,” said Fate.
“‘Locals and tourists kept walking by during the project, asking questions and commenting on the pavers. I must have talked about the pavers with visitors from half the Lower 48 and Europe, too,’ said LaPerriere. ‘And there are fewer than 9,000 people in all of Sitka, so everyone knows everyone. Dozens of people have stopped me at the lumber yard and gro- cery store to chat and comment on the attractiveness of the results.’”
June 23rd, 2011 | Andy Follow Andy
Restaurant Creates VAST Rooftop Patio
Reg Henry acquired the former Players Chop House and Lounge at 357 Victoria Street, Kamloops, British Columbia. But before his new Carlos OʼBryanʼs Neighborhood Pub opened in April 2010, the 60 year-old building underwent extensive renovations.
The previous owners had added a 1,275 square-foot patio on the roof in 2005. Featuring a stone fireplace, the patio had proven to be popular. Henry wanted to re-create it as part of the renovations.
According to Devin Beckett, owner of R&D Construction in Kamloops, the patio was constructed with 2-by-2-foot concrete patio stones. They had not held up well through repeated freeze-thaw cycles during the winters. “The concrete absorbed water so the concrete stones had cracked, some had crumbled, and others were faded and discolored,” said Beckett.
Beckett set out to explore other options. The requirements were a tall order: suitability for a rooftop, a good looking surface that would complement the fireplace, durability, ease of installation, and ease of maintenance.
June 3rd, 2011 | Andy Follow Andy
Projects Using Firestone SkyPaver
Press Release
Firestone SkyPaver™ Composite Roof Pavers Selected for Projects in Illinois, Nebraska and Ohio
Lightweight, Eco-friendly Flat Roof Covering, Introduced at Greenbuild in November 2010, is Going Up on the Roof for Office Building, Hospital and Retail Mall Projects
MINNEAPOLIS – May 24, 2011 – VAST Enterprises, LLC announced that Firestone SkyPaver™ Composite Roof Pavers, which VAST manufactures for Firestone Building Products Company, LLC (FSBP), have been selected for rooftop projects, including:
Central DuPage Hospital, a 313-bed facility located in Winfield, Ill., a suburb west of Chicago — a 10,000 square-foot SkyPaver installation on a flat roof to provide an aesthetically pleasing view for patients in their care;
Westroads Mall, a premier destination for shopping, dining and entertainment in Omaha, Neb. — Phase I, a 7,675 square-foot SkyPaver installation for membrane protection and rooftop maintenance access; and
United Way building in Cleveland, Ohio — a 2,600 square-foot SkyPaver installation for a rooftop patio.
Firestone Building Products Company, LLC (FSBP) is a global leader in commercial roofing systems and materials. VAST Enterprises, LLC, the material science research and manufacturing company that invented composite masonry as an engineered alternative to clay brick and concrete pavers, is the exclusive manufacturer of Firestone SkyPaver™ Composite Roof Pavers for FSBP.
SkyPaver is an interlocking roof paver system manufactured in VAST’s advanced composite material that is an engineered blend of 90 to 95 percent recycled car tires and plastic containers. Each SkyPaver unit consists of a 16×16-inch installation grid with eight composite pavers, which are 4×8 inches each. SkyPaver weighs only 6.23 pounds per square foot (one-fourth the weight of concrete pavers). Interlocked grids establish an integrated surface installed directly on a horizontal drainage mat.
“Developers, building owners and facility managers see the value in making the roof additional usable space. That’s why more new roof and re-roof designs are featuring flat roofs as habitable space,” said Steve Smith, chief technology officer, VAST Enterprises, LLC. “Firestone Building Products is well-known for its superior service to contractors and its unsurpassed warranty program. As the exclusive manufacturer of SkyPavers, VAST is benefiting from the growing demand for roof pavers.”
Firestone SkyPaver Composite Roof Pavers offer important advantages for flat roof applications:
Design Flexibility, Sophisticated Aesthetics: SkyPavers are ideal for building rooftop decks, patios, terraces, or walkways for new or re-roof projects. Available in five brilliant colors, SkyPavers bring the classic, refined look and design versatility of pavers up onto rooftops. Color and pattern design combinations are unlimited.
Superior Product Performance: SkyPavers are one-third the weight of concrete pavers. They contribute minimally to roof loads; yet are strong enough to handle almost any live load, including point loads. SkyPavers are engineered to meet or exceed ASTM standards for compressive and flexural strength, water absorption and resistance to freeze-thaw cycles, weathering, and friction.
Installation Efficiency for Professional Contractors: SkyPavers are packaged 180 units per pallet, and each pallet covers more than 320 square feet. Because composite pavers are one-third the weight of concrete pavers, each pallet weighs only 2,000 pounds. With their weight advantage, SkyPavers require fewer crane lifts up to rooftops. They are also easier for installers to handle on rooftops. No pedestal system is required. VAST’s patented grid system installs right on top of roof membrane systems with drainage mats and ensures straight lines and a level layout. The expert installers in Firestone’s worldwide network of licensed roofing contractors are able to complete installations faster with SkyPaver.
Environmentally Friendly: There is no better choice for green building and sustainable development than SkyPavers. VAST’s eco-friendly composite material is engineered with 90 to 95 percent post-consumer recycled rubber and plastics. Every 25,000 square-foot installation of Firestone SkyPaver Composite Roof Pavers can divert approximately 7,000 tires and more than 200,000 plastic containers from landfills in the U.S. SkyPavers are cradle-to-cradle green and can contribute to projects earning more LEED® credits than any other roof pavement material.
March 23rd, 2011 | Andy Follow Andy
Topping off Green Schools
Environmental Design + Construction (EDC) magazine recently published an article of mine about Stratford Hall, a world-class urban K-5 school in Vancouver.
The Lower School was envisioned as a LEED certified project. However, given the costs of the certification process, Stratford Hall elected to re-direct the budget allocation for certification to the building itself in order to add and retain as many sustainable and energy efficient initiatives as possible. The project incorporated geothermal exchange, displacement air ventilation, a highly insulated building envelope and radiant floor heating together with many other green concepts and materials.
March 17th, 2011 | Andy Follow Andy
Radio Station Gets VAST Parking Lot
The Raven Radio installation of VAST Composite Permeable Pavers was unusual in that it took place “on- stage.”
“Locals and tourists kept walking by during the project, asking questions and commenting on the pavers. I must have talked about the pavers with visitors from half the Lower 48 and Europe, too,” said LaPerriere. “And there are fewer than 9,000 people in all of Sitka, so everyone knows everyone. Dozens of people have stopped me at the lumber yard and grocery store to chat and comment on the attractiveness of the results.”
Will Raven Radio use VAST Composite Pavers again?
“Weʼve had plenty of rain and no runoff problems. Everyone likes the way the pavers look,” said Fate. “Weʼre fund raising for a second phase project, and we want to use VAST for walkways.”
March 16th, 2011 | Andy Follow Andy
Beyond the Surface
Lawn & Landscape Magazine featured VAST in a great article about permeable pavers and their increased use in green building.
“…Adams continues to see an increase in permeable jobs, growing from $100,000 in busi- ness five years ago to about $1 million in 2010. Gronski says about 5 to10 percent of his work is doing permeable jobs, and he expects that to increase. “It’s something that’s growing as more people learn about it,” he says.”
March 15th, 2011 | Andy Follow Andy
New Product: Design Detail Pavers
VAST Enterprises Introduces Design Detail Pavers: Accessories for VAST Composite Landscape and Permeable Pavers
Half-Size and Wedge-Shaped Pavers Make it Easier to Install Curves and Patterns with Clean Edges, Smooth Lines, Uniform Spacing
MINNEAPOLIS – February 1, 2011 – VAST ® Enterprises, the material science research and manufacturing company that invented composite masonry as a green alternative to clay brick and concrete pavers, announced the introduction of its new VAST Composite Detail Pavers. These wedge-shaped and half-size pavers are accessory pieces that complement 4×8-inch VAST Composite Landscape and Permeable Pavers and the 16×16-inch VAST Installation Grids. VAST designed them to make it easier and faster to install curves and other paver patterns in walkways, building entryways, courtyards, terraces, and patios.
“Landscape architects and contractors know that straight or curved solider course patterns (with pavers aligned like soldiers shoulder to shoulder) take a lot of time to get just right,” said Andy Vander Woude, LEED AP, chief executive officer, VAST Enterprises. “We developed VAST Composite Detail Pavers as an accessory that makes it easier and much faster to install curves and other patterns with precision and great results.”
When contractors use concrete pavers or clay bricks in patterns such as a 90-degree herringbone, they have to cut a number of pavers in half to complete the pattern. It takes skill to perform clean, accurate cuts. Cutting wedges for installation of curved shapes is even more difficult. Time and materials are wasted when bricks or concrete pavers crack or chip as they are sawed, or if the cuts turn out uneven and inconsistent. In contrast, when contractors install patterns with VAST Composite Pavers, they can use exact wedge and half pavers manufactured uniformly at the factory.
“In landscaping time is money. With the new VAST Composite Detail Pavers my crews are able to set intricate, curved paver patterns faster and more accurately than with any other segmented paver product,” said Joe Lemmerman, co-founder, EarthPavers, LLC. “We did a head-to-head comparison with an experienced crew installing curved soldier courses around trees. They set VAST six times faster than conventional concrete pavers.”
Like all VAST composite masonry products, the new accessory pieces are manufactured in VAST’s composite material: the world’s first and only engineered composite of post-consumer recycled rubber and plastics that offers the strength, durability and visual appeal to provide a green alternative to molded concrete and clay brick.
VAST Composite Pavers are cradle-to-cradle green. They can contribute to green building projects earning more LEED® credits than any other paver.
“We start the VAST manufacturing process with recycled car tires and plastic containers. Our process takes 94 percent less energy and releases 89 percent less carbon dioxide than concrete product manufacture,” said Steve Smith, chief technology officer, VAST Enterprises. “When we mold our pavers, there are no mercury emissions, no volatile organic compounds generated, no scrap, no waste. And VAST Composite pavers are 100 percent recyclable.”
December 21st, 2010 | Andy Follow Andy
BUILDERNews Names VAST Best Product 2010
Press Release
VAST Permeable Composite Pavers Win Second 2010 Award
Editors of BUILDERNews Select VAST Composite Permeable Pavers as a Best Product for 2010… The VAST Pavers Were Also Voted Best Exterior Product in the 2010 Environmental Design + Construction (ED+C) Readers’ Choice Awards Competition
MINNEAPOLIS – December 13, 2010 – Construction industry accolades keep coming for VAST Composite Permeable Pavers. On November 16, 2010 at Greenbuild, Environmental Design + Construction (ED+C) and Sustainable Facility magazines announced that VAST Composite Permeable Pavers were voted Best Exterior Product in the annual Readers’ Choice Awards . Now the December 2010 issue of BUILDERNews is out with the editors’ annual Best Product picks. They selected VAST Composite Permeable Pavers for Mixed-use/Multifamily projects based on the pavers’ durability, innovation and sustainability.
The editors of BUILDERNews praised the performance and weight advantage of VAST Composite Permeable Pavers and highlighted VAST’s installation grid as a unique innovation. “The VAST pavers weigh eight pounds per square foot (versus about 30 pounds per square foot for concrete permeable pavers), making VAST less energy-intensive and less costly to transport, easier to work with on job sites, and great for use in flat and green roof applications,” said John Chilson, editor-in-chief. “But we really liked the patented grid system because it saves time and reduces the amount of labor required for paver installation.”
“VAST installation grids are laid out on a sub-base prepared just as it is for conventional landscape or permeable pavers,” explained Steve Smith, chief technology officer, VAST Enterprises, LLC. “When VAST pavers are inserted into the grids, they are automatically spaced and aligned correctly for excellent results.”
VAST Enterprises is the materials science research and manufacturing company that invented and patented composite masonry: the world’s first and only rubber-plastic composite that offers the strength, durability, natural appearance, and design versatility to replace molded concrete and traditional clay brick in hardscape and landscape applications. BuilderNews is a national building trade publication with a monthly circulation of 80,000 and monthly readership of 307,000 — including builders, contractors, developers, suppliers, and construction product specifiers in high-growth residential and multifamily homebuilding markets.
VAST Composite Permeable Pavers infiltrate rainwater into the soil to reduce rain runoff into storm drains and decrease stormwater pollution. The pavers have a tested infiltration rate of more than 450 inches per hour (4.9 gallons per square foot per minute) when installed with aggregate conforming to ASTM D448 No. 8.
Like all VAST composite masonry products, the permeable pavers are manufactured in VAST’s engineered composite material, a proprietary blend of up to 95 percent recycled car tires and plastic containers. The VAST production process requires 94 percent less energy and releases 89 percent less carbon dioxide than concrete product manufacture.
“We engineer our composite masonry products to be more than green. We design them outperform the products they replace,” said Andy Vander Woude, chief executive officer, VAST Enterprises, LLC. “That’s why VAST continues to win awards from construction industry professionals and experts in materials science technology.”
VAST Enterprises won the Minnesota Cup as the most innovative start-up company in Minnesota in September 2006. Since then VAST has continued to win awards, including:
- First Place, Mid-Am Innovation Showcase, Mid-America Horticultural Trade Show, January 2009
- Top 10 Green Building Products, EcoHome Editors’ Choice Awards, August 2009
- Minnesota High-Tech Association Tekne Awards: Cleantech Award and Innovative Collaboration of the Year Award, October 2009
- Best Exterior Product (VAST Composite Landscape Pavers), Environmental Design + Construction Readers’ Choice Awards, November 2009
- Environmental Stewardship Award, Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE), February 2010
- Honorable Mention, Innovative Green Design Awards, New York House, July 2010
- Best Exterior Product (VAST Composite Permeable Pavers), Environmental Design + Construction Readers’ Choice Awards, November 2010
- Best Products of 2010, Mixed-use/Multifamily (VAST Composite Permeable Pavers), BUILDERNews, December 2010