Hanson FORMPAVE has recently completed the installation of over 10,000 metres2 of AQUAFLOW permeable paving into all car parking areas of the MOD’s award winning army accommodation development in Catterick. The AQUAFLOW SUDS system was essential on this project due to water discharge restrictions imposed at planning. The system has sophistication at handling, cleaning and harvesting rainwater. The system ensures good quality water discharge provided an ideal drainage solution, performing excellently even on this steep sloping site.
As part of the MOD’s project SLAM (Single Living Acomodation Modernisation), the Catterick Garrison barracks has benefited from a £330 million investment programme to develop the facilities. A total of 2,800 bedrooms have been completed. The MOD is also building a physiotherapy centre, dining facilities, a sport and leisure centre and swimming pools as well as redeveloping Catterick town centre.
"On such an extensive site the car parking areas were an essential part of the redevelopment process," said Steve Robshaw, project manager at Debut Services Ltd, Project SLAM. "The Aquaflow system has been installed on site in excess of 12 months now and we are very pleased with its performance. Even during heavy rainfall, water is drained away immediately and there is no surface water or puddles."
The installation of AQUAFLOW into the brownfield, steep sloping site was a challenging prospect but the company’s 15 years of experience in the industry allowed the highly skilled design team to overcome these issues and deliver an effective and reliable solution. Steve Spikes, development director at Hanson Formpave said, "Several rigorous test areas had to be constructed in order to prove the Aquaflow system as a reliable and efficient SUDS solution to the client before we secured the project. We were more than happy to demonstrate the system and left the installed permeable paving test areas in place for 3 months to undergo typical wear and tear and trafficking. The paving structure was then lifted and the sub base checked for performance and silting. We also designed a bespoke subbase for the site. "
Arup, the consulting engineers on the project, specified Hanson FORMPAVE as suppliers of the permeable paving. This was due to the company’s proven technical competence, the excellent level of design support and guidance offered throughout the project, and the high level of site inspection delivered during construction. Ayan Das, senior engineer at Arup, said "We are very happy with the promptness and quality of responses to the technical queries and issues that were experienced on site. I would certainly use Hanson FORMPAVE again."
The FORMPAVE 80mm paver was used throughout the car parking areas. Now it is completed the whole area will require minimal maintenance with sweeping of the surface a couple of times a year the recommended practice. The AQUAFLOW SUDS system works by allowing rain to infiltrate through a permeable concrete block paved surface into a unique stone sub-base where it is cleaned, by filtration and microbial action. It is then released in a controlled manner into sewers or water courses. This rainwater can also be harvested for reuse when infiltrated directly into the sub-grade. The clean water is pumped back out for secondary uses including flushing toilets and watering gardens.
The AQUAFLOW Permeable Paving and Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SUDS), provides an affordable solution to the challenges of storm water disposal and treatment, water conservation, recycling and reuse. The patented AQUAFLOW paving system delivers immediate environmental benefits and financial savings, when compared to traditional drainage. The system can also be used to harvest and reuse all water that falls on hard surfaces such as roofs and car parks. This represents additional environmental benefits and cost savings.