One of the building materials in the Parkway Place Luxury Apartments under construction in St. Louis Park, MN has earned the project a nomination for a state award.

Tire-derived aggregate (TDA) was installed as a lightweight aggregate to reduce the lateral load against the building’s exterior foundation walls. Approximately 216,000 shredded tires were used to support a foundation wall nearly a city-block long.

ERA Structural Engineering recommended TDA for the project. The project contractor, Ramsey Companies, prepared the site by removing soil to the building footing. They applied waterproofing and insulation. A wedge-shaped space, three feet at the base to 25 feet at the top of the wall, was lined with geotextile fabric, filled with TDA and then covered with two feet of granular material. Ramsey Companies installed the TDA in lifts (one-foot increments) and compacted each layer.

TDA Manufacturing CEO Monte Niemi applauded the civil engineering application, noting it’s a double bonus when a sustainable material can be used for its unique engineering properties, while reducing costs compared to other backfill materials. The innovative nature of the project and the volume of tires re-used earned the project a nomination for the Governor’s Award for Excellence in Recycling.