Indiana Bank Installs Sustainable Pavers at Branches, Offices

1st Source Bank and South Bend-based Kuert Concrete are partnering to install pervious pavers at all of 1st Source’s new financial facilities. 1st Source spokesman Douglas Way says the pavers are helping the bank achieve its overall goal to return stormwater to the aquifer, and bring some unexpected benefits as well.

1st Source employs a strong sustainability program corporation-wide, from a decades-old paper product recycling plan to energy-conserving lighting to the Xeripave Super Pervious pavers it now uses in hardscaping projects.

Way says the bank contracted with Kuert Concrete to install the pavers after learning about them at an event marketing new green products. 1st Source wanted to better manage stormwater runoff, instead of sending it through a sewer system to be discharged into area rivers or Lake Michigan. Both businesses have a long history of serving the northern Indiana/southern Michigan area. Established in 1927, Kuert is currently the oldest central batch ready-mix concrete manufacturer in the United States. 1st Source was founded in South Bend in 1863 and has 81 banking centers in 17 counties, in addition to other financial offices.

Mark Walker, Kuert Concrete’s director of business development, says the company is the Great Lakes distributor for the Xeripave company located in Vancouver, Washington. “The Xeripave paver is manufactured totally from aggregate using a two-part polyurethane with a UV inhibitor. They are not affected by sunlight, by salt, by freeze and thaw, and they’re not affected by petroleum products.”

The pavers are installed on compacted aggregate, and water flows through them rather than around them. They have such a high infiltration rate that they only need to be used on 15-18% of a total project surface area to be effective. Walker says that makes them a very affordable option on green projects.

1st Source began installing the pavers three years ago and now uses them in all new construction. “We looked at them for replenishment, and thought it was a great product for that application. We had some additional benefits we didn’t originally consider. We have less usage of ice melt, with the water running off quickly we have less ice build-up and need fewer chemicals. The surface is also resistant to slip,” notes Way.

“We entertain several different associations throughout the Great Lakes states, as well as Kentucky and Tennessee,” explains Walker, from architects to stormwater managers. They supply Xeripave pavers to everything from large-scale public projects in Chicago to smaller commercial efforts.

“We try a lot of things and I see us using this product extensively in the future,” Way adds. “I think the message we try to put forward is that you don’t have to spend a ton of money to make a difference, you can actually use it to your advantage and save money by doing the right thing for the environment.”