Reunion housing complex, Murrayville: DecoMark decorative asphalt sidewalks

Swing by the new Reunion Housing Complex in Murrayville, Langley. You'll notice the decorative sidewalk work in the dappled light of spring and summer. We installed custom DecoMark decals and surface treatments across the development's pedestrian areas.

DecoMark is a custom wayfinding and horizontal surface art system. Unlike painted sidewalk treatments that fade within a season, DecoMark uses a preformed thermoplastic approach: the designs are manufactured off-site to exact specifications, then thermally bonded to the asphalt surface on installation day.

What the photographs show

The lede photograph is the piece itself: a cluster of oak leaves in green, fused into the asphalt path in front of the homes, with a split-rail fence and a timber arbour behind it and a large tree throwing shade across the surface. The decal sits flush with the path (it is in the asphalt, not on it) and its edges are crisp. The close-up in the project record is where thermoplastic shows its difference from paint: the lobes of each leaf and the stem between them are cut exactly as drawn, with no brush edge and no overspray.

Residential development applications

Housing complexes and strata developments are an underserved market for decorative pavement. Most attention goes to the buildings and landscaping; the paved surfaces are treated as functional rather than designed. That's a missed opportunity, particularly in developments that want to establish identity and differentiate themselves in a competitive market.

At Reunion Murrayville, the DecoMark installation contributes to the overall character of the development: details that residents notice when they walk through the complex daily, and that distinguish the project from comparable buildings nearby.

DecoMark vs. paint for residential projects

The case for thermoplastic over paint in a residential application comes down to maintenance cost and visual quality over time. A painted sidewalk treatment looks good on opening day and fades from there. A DecoMark installation holds its colour and its edge with minimal maintenance intervention, because the colour runs through the material rather than sitting on the surface.

For developers who intend to maintain high visual standards in their common areas over the life of the project, the thermoplastic approach is the correct long-term specification.

The system

Square One installs DecoMark under our preformed thermoplastic service. The manufacturer's published facts: it is a preformed thermoplastic, heat-fused to the pavement; the artwork is fully custom (logos, emblems, wayfinding symbols, complex designs) in a full colour spectrum; and its durability is that of standard thermoplastic road marking. The manufacturer notes it is used extensively for community identity projects across Canada. The DecoMark product page carries the specification, and the branding and wayfinding gallery shows it on campuses, retail and civic sites.

For a developer or strata

• Start from the landscape plan. The oak leaf at Reunion works because it belongs to the site. A motif drawn from the development's name, planting or history reads as identity; a stock symbol reads as signage.
• Decide between decal and field. DecoMark holds a logo's exact colour and geometry; where a whole path needs colour, StreetBond® fills the field behind the graphics, and the two are installed together.
• Fresh asphalt is the easy case. Sidewalks are usually paved late in construction, so the decal scope belongs on the paving contractor's schedule before the sod goes down.

For BC housing developers specifying sidewalk and hardscape features, send a photo of the path and a postal code to office@squareonepaving.com, call 604-612-6209, or use the contact form. We come out, look, and put a written quote together.