A medley of flow-through planters
National Holistic Institute, 59th and Doyle, Emeryville. Map
Mt. Diablo Recycling Center, 1300 Loveridge, Pittsburg. Map
Temple Sinai, 2808 Summit St., Oakland. Map
Flow-through planters are essentially plumbed planter boxes designed to filter pollutants from runoff but not let water spread out or soak into soil. They are useful in a variety of conditions:
This page shows a variety of such uses.
National Holistic Institute, an Emeryville massage school, retrofitted an existing building. Roof runoff flows to narrow flow-through planters, above. Parking runoff gets somewhat more space, below. Click images to enlarge.
Below: Mt. Diablo Recycling Center in Pittsburg is a sea of concrete, but a recent building addition at the transfer station channels roof runoff into a narrow flow-through planter.
Below: At at new classroom building in a highly urbanized area in Oakland, Temple Sinai used a variety of means to treat runoff pollution. Below, roof runoff goes to a flow-through planter.
Left, a street tree that looks like any other has its roots in special media that filters runoff. Above, a sand filter intercepts runoff from the parking lot at a downhill entrance where no planting is possible.