Engineered Soil Applications

Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY

The Student Hall for Exploration & Development (SHED), a landmark new building at the heart of the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) campus, showcases engineered soils manufactured by Naturcycle at our blending facility in Western New York. Bayer Landscape Architecture relied on our design experience to create a locally sourced, high-quality planting soil blend that could support a wide assortment of native vegetation and could be produced consistently over the year-long time horizon of the project.

Colgate University, Hamilton, NY

For the renovation of the Olin Hall plaza at Colgate University, Naturcycle was pleased to work with Michael Van Valkenburgh Inc, one of the most renowned landscape architecture firms in the world. Their attention to detail and commitment to quality are second to none. Naturcycle manufactured two distinct soil blends to meet the design needs of the project: a sand-based horticultural layer, and a high-organic planting soil, using our expertise to source natural components locally and meet tight design specifications. Our rigorous testing regimen and dedicated customer support sets Naturcycle apart on projects like this.

Albany Pedestrian Experience, Albany, NY

Phase One of the Albany Pedestrian Experience Improvement Project began in late summer and included significant enhancements to Clinton Ave, near the historic Palace Theater. Designed by the landscape architects at EDR, these infrastructure upgrades make use of Silva Cells, an underground system patented by Deep Root to provide tree root protection and improve stormwater management. Naturcycle created a soil blend specific for use in these structures to support water infiltration, provide a stable source of organic matter, and resist compaction, critical elements to the long-term success of urban street trees.

Gansevoort Peninsula Park, Manhattan, NY

Part of the Hudson River Park Trust, the latest addition to the New York City waterfront, Gansevoort Peninsula Park, includes Manhattan’s first public beach. Craul Land Scientists designed a layered approach for the on-site soils consisting of a coarse sand layer for drainage, a horticultural layer with organic matter to support plant roots, and a rich topsoil layer, as well as innovative designs such as a mucky marshland soil and an intertidal soil. We manufactured these soil blends with all the necessary testing and quality control, maintaining product quality for the length of the project. Naturcycle specializes in long-term jobs like this, which took several years to complete.

The Spiral, 66 Hudson Blvd, Manhattan, NY

Naturcycle manufactures a wide variety of engineered soils for use in applications ranging from bioretention to athletic fields to green roofs and more. We also supply custom soil for Silva Cells, which are designed to support the growth of trees in urban areas. These structures protect against soil compaction, allowing water and nutrients to flow freely through the tree roots. The specialized soil that Naturcycle manufactures for Silva Cells have a slightly acidic pH, a moderate level of organic matter, and are made using local, sustainable components. Used extensively for the East Midtown Greenway, these Silva Cells were also installed at The Spiral at 66 Hudson Boulevard in Manhattan.

Hamilton College, Clinton, NY

Naturcycle manufactured two different engineered soils at our blending yard outside Rochester, NY for use at the historic Hamilton College campus. Working with a local contractor, Naturcycle designed sustainable soils with locally sourced materials to match important characteristics of soils native to the region, including pH. The resulting planting soil and bio-retention soil were used to enhance a public courtyard at the school, expanding access, and creating a new vibrant landscape for students with hundreds of yards of high-quality soil.

Promenade Hill Park – Hudson, NY

The historic Promenade Hill Park delivers outstanding views of the Catskills and the Hudson River. The City of Hudson contracted with Starr Whitehouse Landscape Architects to update the park and improve ADA accessibility. Several different soil types were required to support a variety of planting and landscaping applications. Naturcycle coordinated with the construction team to ensure that each of these soils were produced and delivered on time.

East Midtown Greenway – Manhattan, NY

The East Midtown Greenway, designed by Stantec, connects two existing public parks along the East River waterfront. The specialized planting mix required a high silt and clay content and a challenging quality control regimen utilizing the technical expertise that Naturcycle is well known for. Our partners at Steven Dubner Landscaping will be deploying thousands of yards of engineered soil as this ongoing project continues.

Private Residence – Westchester County, NY

Construction work at a private residence in Westchester County called for a bioretention system to process stormwater runoff on the property. Naturcycle worked with the developer to create a standardized soil media using local materials. The result, our Bioretention Blend M, manufactured at our nearby facility in Millbrook, NY, was a great fit for this application.

Pier 26 – Manhattan, NY

This 2.5-acre pier is one of many components to the sprawling Hudson River Park in development along Manhattan’s riverfront by the Hudson River Park Trust. The ecological focus of Pier 26 includes several habitat zones and indigenous plants. Naturcycle supplied a variety of lightweight soil blends featuring Norlite aggregates and local materials. Success on this project was due to the great design work of the landscape architecture firm OLIN and expert installation by Steven Dubner Landscaping.

Rieger Homes – Wappingers Falls, NY

Naturcycle produced more than 400 cubic yards of a manufactured soil blend specifically engineered for on-site stormwater management at a new housing complex in Dutchess County, NY. This bioretention mix is one of many Naturcycle products created for a specific application or use. Our expert team has the knowledge and expertise to determine the best soil for each job.

One Vanderbilt Plaza – Manhattan, NY

One Vanderbilt is a supertall skyscraper adjacent to Grand Central Terminal in midtown Manhattan. Naturcycle developed a highly specialized at-grade soil to support growth of trees and perennial plants at the building’s impressive new pedestrian plaza, designed by PWP Landscape Architecture and installed by our partners at Steven Dubner Landscaping.

Minnewaska State Park – Wawarsing, NY

This park in the Catskills required a sand based, low nutrient bio-retention media within a narrow pH range. Naturcycle’s experienced team used specialty materials to develop, test, blend and deliver hundreds of yards of distinctive material for this important application. Having the right resources, knowledge and expertise is critical to complete a successful project with confidence.

CPG3 Housing Redevelopment – Yonkers, NY

The CPG3 housing redevelopment was a brownfield project and had specific requirements for topsoil application. Because of our experience working with the DEC in the region, a reliable network from which to source materials, and an excellent resume on other brownfield projects like Long Dock Park in Beacon, NY, Naturcycle had a unique capacity to provide engineered topsoil qualified for “Certified Soil” and NYS Part 375 cleanup applications. The engineered topsoil provided for this project met the rigorous standards for residential cleanup, supports plant growth, drains well, and was locally made in the Hudson Valley.

Scenic Hudson Long Dock Park – Beacon, NY

This two-year project with the Scenic Hudson Land Trust continued it’s work in Beacon, NY to complete this stunning riverside park. Mr. Charles Duprey has personally worked for almost a decade on this project, carefully constructing a number of soils to meet the stringent designs of Craul Soil Science.

Scenic Hudson has sweeping views of the Hudson River, kayak launches and a river front trail. This phase two work was mostly in the Kayak launch and barn area with soils provided by Naturcycle. It will complete the park for its finished uses. Blacktop Maintenance of Poughkeepsie provided the site work and much of the finishing touches to this great addition to the Scenic Hudson Trust.

Private Residence – Canandaigua, NY

One of Naturcycle’s many strengths is having two soil blending locations in New York State to service customers. Our Finger Lakes area work was completed at our Rochester, NY area soil blending site. We created an engineered sandy loam to achieve a high standard of quality and consistency for a large private residence on Canandaigua Lake. The Landscape Architect and Landscape Contractor, RM Landscapes of Hilton, NY sought out the best materials for this job. Unlike naturally harvested topsoil, Naturcycle’s manufactured soils are the same from start of project to finish.

Also, we provided quality control testing on a variety of important soil characteristics as each batch was produced. We only utilized the highest quality compost and provided the logistics for delivery to ease the burden on already busy Landscapers. Naturcycle works to achieve the best results with a focus on customer service.

Naturcycle offers a variety of engineered soil products from both locations like Topsoil’s, Planting Mixes, DOT specified soils, Green Roof Media, Rain Garden Blends and more.

Croton Water Treatment Plant – Bronx, NY

In fall of 2018, a good example of Naturcycle’s ability to understand and interpret specification. We worked with the contractors onsite to meet the engineered topsoil needs and provide a quality, high organic matter, friable soil for plantings and repairs to existing work at the Water Treatment Facility on Jerome Avenue in the Bronx. Naturcycle provided a few hundred yards of specialty soils for the site.

Mr. Duprey previously worked on the massive Green Roof for this huge urban project. He personally developed the final intensive Blend with input from highly acclaimed green roof design firm Rana Creek Design. He oversaw tens of thousands of yards of manufactured soils, green roof media, and other soils for the site, along with the logistics of delivery and a rigorous testing plan for the soils.

Bloomfield Central Schools – Bloomfield, NY

Rootzone mixes are a common soil engineered for athletic field and golf course construction. This low organic matter, fast draining sand-based soil is used for turf applications. It is commonly used in high performance areas, with high use and lots of activity such as an Athletic field. The right sands, the best compost and a strong understanding of soils manufacturing is needed to make these specialized soils.

Naturcycle provided thousands of cubic yards of a Rootzone Mix from our Victor, NY location. Working with the landscape contractor we created a locally made mix. These new athletic fields at the school showed excellent results and are working well two years after installation.

Baypointe Condominiums – Greenwich, CT

This engineered soil project in Greenwich, Connecticut provided the storm-water management for a large new condominium complex. Naturcycle worked with the Landscape Contractor to offer an alternative to the existing specification. Leveraging another rain garden project’s recent analysis Naturcycle offered a sand-based rain garden blend with some small differences from the initial design.

Our professional presentation, quality testing and knowledgeable staff helped get the Naturcycle Rain Garden Engineered Soil Blend approved, as is. This helped reduced the project costs and provided a readily available solution. Contractor and Owner where both happy with our hard work on submittals and well-made soils. Naturcycle offers a variety of soils for storm-water water uses and is pleased to review specifications at any time.

Mobile Life Support Services Site – Poughkeepsie, NY

Naturcycle Engineered Planting Soils where used to meet the project needs of a Landscape Architect in this new construction project. In the City of Poughkeepsie, New York, an ambulance service company built a new building. The very poor soil quality in this old industrial city required an imported Planting Soil to establish a diverse landscape at the new site.

Naturcycle Planting Soil Engineered Blend was used to meet the projects demands. This sand-base blend was mixed with United States Seal of Testing Assurance Certified Compost and was blended nearby in our local to New York City yard. The few hundred yards of finished soil was rapidly delivered, as well satisfying the clients’ needs to wrap up the job. Using the highest quality compost and soils are Naturcycle’s only goals.