Squares & Car Parks

Innovative infiltration systems beneath squares and car parks

Smart water buffering and infiltration with Rockflow beneath a square or car park

Heavy downpours and flooded streets, but also long term drought; smart water management is more important than ever. How can we prevent flooding during peak downpours? And how do we distribute the available water during continued drought? Whereas in the past, attempts were made to transport the water away as quickly as possible, nowadays a great deal of attention is being paid to storing water in the environment. Smart water management can contribute to a healthy groundwater level. For local authorities too, sustainable management of water has become a current topic, for example in the construction of squares and car parks.

The need to decouple

The climate is changing. We are also noticing this in the Netherlands. It's not only raining more often, but also harder. Especially in urban areas, heavy downpours are causing flooded roads, squares and car parks. People and businesses expect their local authorities to find a quick solution for these severe water problems. Landowners themselves are primarily responsible for the drainage of rainwater that falls on their land, but when it comes to public spaces, such as squares and car parks, the local authority has a legal obligation to provide facilities that enable the rainwater to be drained. To prevent flooding and overloading of the combined sewer by the release of clean rainwater, more and more authorities are attempting to decouple rainwater drainage. But how can rainwater best be drained in order to prevent flooding on the surface?

Brochure illustration Rockflow, water management

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The limitations of traditional infiltration methods

A much-used method of storing water underground is the so-called gravel or lava box, also known as an infiltration box. A lava or gravel box consists of a thick layer of stones. The gravel or lava stone retains the water and ensures that the rainwater is slowly released. One disadvantage of this type of box is its limited absorption capacity. Gravel and lava stone have a porosity of approximately 35 to 45%. This is the percentage of the material that is available for water storage. This means that many or deep trenches must be excavated in order to apply this infiltration method effectively.

An alternative with a higher porosity is an infiltration crate. This has a porosity of 95%. Infiltration crates are also used to buffer water and release it slowly back into the ground. Stacking the crates gives a high buffering capacity. One disadvantage is that the crates, just like the lava and gravel boxes, must be packed in geotextiles. In theory, the infiltration speed of water into the subsoil is good. In practice, the bottom surface of the crates silts up, considerably reducing the infiltration capacity.

Rockflow provides a solution: the benefits of stone wool

How can water be stored more efficiently, now that the importance in smart water management is increasing? An infiltration solution using stone wool can provide a solution. Stone wool has been used successfully as insulation material for some eighty years now. It is sustainable, versatile and has a long life. With the innovative Rockflow infiltration system, which is made up of stone wool elements, the water is absorbed and released gradually into the ground. With an absorption capacity of 95 %, stone wool has a considerably higher absorption capacity than, for example, lava stone and gravel. As a result, much less material is needed to reach the desired buffer volume. Furthermore, thanks to its fine fibre structure, no geotextiles are needed to keep sand out. This ensures that the entire ground surface is available to be infiltrated.

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The benefits of Rockflow applications on a square or car park

Urban areas in the Netherlands are mostly paved, with roads, squares and car parks. The risk of flooding is greatest in these paved areas. Rockflow reduces the likelihood of problems by storing water and releasing it gradually into the ground. Thanks to its fine fibre structure, Rockflow stone wool is resistant to high traffic loads, which makes the material extremely suitable for use beneath squares and car parks.

Is there a need to lay additional cables beneath a car park or install furniture on a square? This can be done relatively simply. The storage system continues to function whilst the elements are adapted. Rockflow thereby limits the risk of flooding on squares and car parks, even during extreme rainfall.

When rainwater falls on unpaved surfaces, it can usually soak into the ground. But if the rainwater falls on paved surfaces such as squares or car parks, it also has to go somewhere, which can cause serious overloading.

The innovative Rockflow system can yield results. Would you like to know more about what Rockflow can do for you for wadis and parks?

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Rockflow Infra applications

The innovative Rockflow system is applied to roads, streets, squares, parks, wadis and industrial estates.

Alongside and Beneath the Road Infiltration systems

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