Santa Fe landscape designer and porphyry installer Kevin Avants of Avant Gardens was asked to be involved as a design consultant for a uniquely difficult Porphyry driveway project in Arizona. The General Contractor was renovating a worn-out old gravel driveway with porphyry. The site, located on the top of a mountain, had the challenge of a very steep entrance and exit driveways and was proving incredibly difficult to design for.
Kevin took the challenge and worked with the contractor and local installers to design a breath-takingly beautiful layout that works perfectly with the steep terrain. He incorporated a double fan pattern with circles as transitions from one level to the next.
The masons willingness to take on an unfamiliar material and install a pattern new to them is a tribute to there skills and years of experience!
The classic Italian pattern turned out beautifully and was designed to be a structural component as well. Keeping the arc on the uphill side, the pressure pushes down tightening the pattern, much in the same way as an arch supports a bridge. Using a circle to transition from the uphill driveway on the left to the downhill side on the right utilized this principle.
The size of the patterns will vary according to the projects width, length and overall dimensions. A visual center with similar edge depths along with well thought out transition points will help to create a timeless look using this old world stone. This project is a great example of why Porphyry has been used for millennium for its beauty, functionality and sustainability.
