Green-tech flourishing in Ireland, with TreeParker® urban tree pits

Project Name:Athlone Public Realm Tree Pits

Location:Athlone, Co Westmeath, Ireland

Landscape Architect:Optimised Environments, Edinburgh

Landscape Contractor: John Craddock Ltd

Product/Services Supplied:Green-tech TreeParker®, Mona Irrigation, Tree Anchors, Green-tech Rootbarrier

Background:

Athlone, Co Westmeath is a thriving town in the centre of Ireland, equidistant between Dublin on the East coast and Galway on the West. The ambitious Urban Design and Regeneration Framework Plan includes a package of projects that aims to regenerate Athlone, realise its full potential as one of five Regional Growth Centres within Co Westmeath, and position it as a destination for tourism.

New road layouts and tree planting were undertaken at Dublin Gate Street (North and South), Mardyke Street North, and Marist Brothers’ Corner, with plans to pedestrianise Sean Costello Street, creating a link between the shopping areas of Athlone town centre.

The Regeneration Team, with funding from Project Ireland 2040, worked on the initial stages with McAdam Design and OPEN Landscape Architects. John Cradock Ltd was awarded the works contract in January 2023, with work starting quickly thereafter. John Cradock has been one of Ireland’s leading civil engineering and building contractors for over 30 years, the last 20 of which has included the delivery of several award-winning public realm projects.

Green-tech involvement:

John Cradock had worked with Green-tech previously on the Waterford Greenway project, involving 48 trees that required geo-cellular support. Using their raft-style support system in that instance, they were keen to see Green-tech’s new TreeParker® urban tree pit system, introduced to the market at Future Build at the beginning of March 2023. Although TreeParker® has been used over the years on high-profile, large public realm projects throughout mainland Europe and the Middle East, this was to be Green-tech’s first TreeParker® project in the UK and Ireland.

The Cradock’s team is used to working with geo-cellular tree pit systems and saw no problem with the straightforward, simple design of TreeParker®. However, as it was the first official installation, Green-tech sent a team to observe and offer assistance and guidance if needed. It turned out none was, as the system was straightforward and quicker to install than even the contractors expected.

As is common in a town centre, there was the expected multitude of service lines and pipes running through the rooting area at various levels and angles. However, due to the way that the TreeParker® units are assembled, this caused no problem whatsoever, the support legs simply straddled the service pipes, as can be seen in the photographs.

The new TreeParker® system comprises rigid, modular units made from reinforced, recycled polypropylene. The units enable the ground above a tree pit to be trafficked, supporting the paving above (up to 56t/m2), whilst still protecting the soil below from compaction. This means that rather than needing to use a fast-draining and low organic structural tree soil, a soft, friable, organic topsoil can be used, which is ideal for successful tree establishment.

Although highly rigid, the units still provide 95% of their volume for rooting space. The heavy-duty, reinforced legs are available in various heights from the factory; 400, 600, 800mm, and 1, 1.2, and 1.5m. This gives a previously unheard-of flexibility with depth options, and more importantly, without the need to stack multiple units, saving installation time and money. It also enables the units, by having legs rather than side walls, to easily straddle, or work around service pipes and lines, as was demonstrated at Athlone.

Alasdair Innes from Green-tech adds, “The John Cradock team were impressed with the speed and ease with which the units went in, and the way the service pipes were easily worked around was a definite bonus. Working across four separate tree pit areas, Green-tech also supplied the necessary root barrier, along with Mona Relief irrigation pipes and tree anchors. Once the tree pits were installed, other groundworks were completed so the trees were not planted until Spring 2024. We look forward to seeing the trees flourish over the next few years.”