Imprint: Decorative imprinted overlay for trafficked areas
Imprint: Introduction
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Median Strip
Roundabout Apron
Buildout / Overrun Apron
Pedestrian Crossing
Vehicle Crossover
Footway
Enhancement Scheme
Bus Route / Layby
Gateway
Reinstatements
Imprint: Introduction
The Basics
Imprint is a 15mm thick synthetic coloured asphalt overlay with a pattern imprinted into the surface to achieve a similar effect to brick/block paving.
It is designed to offer the benefit of a single homogenous asphalt mat which, for trafficked scenarios, is preferable to block paving with its inherent ongoing maintenance liabilities.
Imprint will provide a maintenance free surface under trafficking. A decorative architectural appearance which will delineate a shared surface or traffic feature to road users. And it will perform well on crossing points, overruns, median strips, aprons, buildouts, crossovers, gateways and enhancement schemes.
The benefits of using imprint
- Visibly delineates from the rest of the road through colour and pattern
- Clearly identifies to the driver a potential shared use space
- Highlights pedestrian priorities may be different
- Low maintenance, no individual bricks or blocks to work loose under traffic
- Quick application, around 70 sq.m per day
- Applied straight on top of the existing blacktop surface
- Highly cost effective
- Laid at only 15mm thickness
Here are our standard colours and designs available with Imprint
Some common choices for patterns
Herringbone 45° or 90°: The 45° pattern is the quietest pattern with less tyre noise generated
Brick : Good for leading/trailing edge, ramp delineation and ideal in a contrasting colour with Herringbone
Paving Slab: Looks great on footways especially in fawn
Granite Sett: Great for environmentally sensitive areas
Tegula: Non-uniform pattern to replicate tegula paving
Read our new Imprint magazine on Issuu
Central Median Strip
Colour: Light Grey
Pattern: Granite Sett
Project: reconstruct & improve pedestrian facilities
Traditional granite kerbs and setts had significant failures creating potential hazards for motorists and pedestrians.
- Existing features were broken out and, reverted to standard asphalt pavement with Imprint to redefine crossing points and the central median strip
- Imprint was installed speedily receiving positive feedback from multiple stakeholders about the quick application and the standard of finish
- Imprint can be installed quickly (up to 70sq.m to 100sq.m per shift) and work carried out during the nighttime ensuring the whole site can be open for business during the day
Roundabout Apron
Colour: Light Grey
Pattern: Granite Sett
Olympic Corridor Project
Roundabout apron with Imprint kerb edge
- Project outcomes expected were improved accessibility and street scene and creating an improved public realm.
- The works were to remove the existing gyratory and were designed to support the additional expected pedestrian activity.
- The Imprint apron created a perceived narrowed roundabout carriageway but the Imprint could be overrun allowing plenty of space for maneuvering buses and HGV’s as they could traverse the Imprint without detriment to the decorative nature of the surface finish.
Build Out / Overrun Apron
Colour: Light Grey
Pattern: Granite Sett
New gyratory
An existing 2 way carriageway had an elongated gyratory incorporated into it feeding a new 400 house development
- Existing carriageway narrowed to single lane. Additional width given over for footways and an Imprint build out to narrow the carriageway
- New gyratory feeds a school and incorporates a bus layby for residents
- Imprint allows buses to traverse over the surface without damage
Pedestrian Crossing
Colour: Charlwood Grey
Pattern: Brick
Infrastructure Project: town centre regeneration
Town centre one-way system converted to two-way
- Guides pedestrians where to cross the highway
- Free from trip hazards because it’s a single homogenous surface (unlike brick and block work which could work loose under traffic).
- Alerts the vehicle driver to the crossing point which means vehicles don’t stop on the crossing in heavy traffic
Vehicle Crossovers
Colour: Bristol White
Pattern: Slab
Project: Eliminate pedestrian trip hazard
Vehicles crossing or parking on paved footways result in broken slabs and dangerous trip hazards
- The broken slabs are removed and a base layer of asphalt is laid in preparation for the Imprint surface laid on top. Colour and pattern to suit the surroundings
- Imprint suitable for traffic accessing the service road behind the shop fronts
- Consistent footway surface suitable for both vehicle traffic and pedestrians
Pedestrian Footway
Colour: Bristol White
Pattern: Slab
Vehicles driving on to and parking on footways
Footways slabs break under traffic causing trip hazard
- Where vehicles pull off the carriageway the substructure is often inadequate to stop the slabs from breaking. The result is a significant trip hazard
- Imprint can recreate the aesthetic of a slab pattern and, with an asphalt base, can easily cope with the weight of cars and lorries without breaking
- A simple solution to a common problem
Enhancement Schemes
Colour: Fawn and Bristol White
Pattern: Granite Sett
This project altered the road layout with the addition of a new Imprint 'roundle' junction, six new Imprint courtesy crossings, Imprint parking lay-bys and other cosmetic improvements
- The old zebra crossings were replaced with courtesy crossings that encourage pedestrians to make eye contact with drivers who, in turn, slow down and let them across
- The residents felt there was no central focus to the area, it was just somewhere people drove through
- This has been a resident-led scheme in terms of its design. There have been three consultations at different stages so people in the area really have been given the chance to shape it
Bus Routes / Bus Laybys
Colour: Light Grey
Pattern: 90° Herringbone
Project: Replacing severely rutted block paving outside this busy London train station
Changed routing priorities provided a dedicated bus route to cater for over 800 daily bus movements past the station
- Dedicated public transport hub for this thriving urban centre
- Improving pedestrian links between existing public transport infrastructure and new Crossrail station nearby
- Imprint surface chosen to provide the surface of a 650 m² raised table with 2 pedestrian crossings
Gateways
Colour: Bristol White
Pattern: 90° Herringbone
Project: New bus station to act as the main hub for the region
High quality, pedestrian friendly public spaces that complement the design of the new bus station and help to meet the strategic growth objectives of the region
- Integrate the bus station with the rest of the town linking key amenities such as the waterfront, the heritage park, and the retail centre
- Instrumental in improving the public realm and public transport offer
- Imprint crossings with a modern, coherent design and a specific pattern to make the them more conspicuous
Reinstatements
Of course Imprint material has statutory undertakers cutting through it. Whilst not an everyday occurrence, it is a common enough event. At Rhino we can offer a service to reinstate the Imprint pads and make the pad looks complete once again. The initial visibility is one of a very close match. After some trafficking it will be difficult to see that it was ever disrupted in the first place.
A couple of points to note.
- The initial colour match will be close but not perfect. The existing pad may have altered slightly due to some ultra violet light fading. However, after some trafficking this should be barely noticeable
- The reinstated trench or patch will have to be sufficiently well compacted. After all, the Imprint is laid just 15mm thick. If the reinstatement compacts and settles under trafficking then the Imprint will only follow the profile.
That aside, the key to a good Imprint reinstatement relies upon workmanship
- Getting a close colour match by adjustment of pigment levels
- Cutting back the pattern in an echelon shape to avoid straight lines
- Ensuring the reinstatement is left 15mm below the finished surface level
- Taking care to get as good a finish as possible
Q: The question whether it is possible to reinstate Imprint is an easy one to answer...
A: Yes and when done well the finish is seamless and harmonious with the surrounding surface
Notes about the finished appearance of Imprint
Imprint is a hand-lay synthetic asphalt with a pattern imprinted into the surface to achieve a similar effect to block paving. It is a product designed to offer the benefit of a single homogenous asphalt mat which, for trafficked scenarios, is preferable to block paving with its inherent ongoing maintenance liabilities.
That said, Imprint is laid at just 15mm thickness and will therefore not regulate a surface or eliminate ponding or cover up imperfections in a flawed substrate. It will perform like a 15mm asphalt so, if there is movement or cracking beneath, then the Imprint will crack too. If there is trench settlement, then the Imprint will settle too.
And Imprint will have surface imperfections if comparing it to a new block paved finish. Inherent with a hand-lay finish these might be surface marks, blemishes, a variable finish and irregular pattern marks. What Imprint will deliver, however, is a maintenance free surface under trafficking. A decorative architectural appearance which will delineate a shared surface or traffic feature to road users. And it will perform well on crossing points, overruns, median strips, aprons, buildouts, crossovers, gateways and enhancement schemes.
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