SITE ENGINEERING AND DESIGN
FOR CORPORATE HEADQUARTERS
Siemens (formerly Shared Medical Systems, Inc.)
Malvern, Chester County, PA
Constructed in 1982, the porous pavement parking lot at Siemens is one of the oldest large porous pavement systems in the United States. This is especially significant considering that the underlying geology is carbonate. Constructed of a series of "beds" benched down the hillside, this site served as an early example of "how to" for porous pavement on slopes.

After 20 years, the system continues to outperform nearby conventional parking lots. In the picture below, taken years after installation, heavy precipitation falling on the porous pavement in the foreground immediately disappears into the underlying bed; conventional pavement in the rear produces substantial runoff.
Site Photographs

Construction in 1982 of the infiltration beds at SMS.

Even during a heavy rainstorm, the porous asphalt (shown here in the foreground) allows runoff to drain into the subsurface infiltration beds.

In 2003, twenty years after installation, the infiltration beds still function properly.