About us
| Learning from Aggregate Industries' experience |
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Stakeholder comment Mark Boardman, project engineer for Urban Visions (Salford City Council, UK): 'Our new sporting village had to be able to withstand the inclement weather. Charcon was contracted to design a sustainable drainage system.' |
Description
Aggregate Industries (AI) provides us with many opportunities to learn from their experience to deliver sustainable products to market. Building customer confidence in such alternatives is a long-term undertaking and requires close collaboration with stakeholders sharing a passion for sustainable construction. In 2005 AI division Charcon provided sustainable products and specialist advice to Salford City Council on Manchester’s outskirts for the development of a car park drainage and filtration system at a sporting village.
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Objectives Many conventional surface water drainage systems cannot manage heavy volumes of runoff, and their failures can lead to flooding or pollution. Using a sustainable drainage systems concept in development planning aims to minimize or prevent these problems. Part of a UK government social initiative, the design concept posed an early challenge for the multidisciplinary team. It would need to incorporate sustainable construction materials while keeping an eye on costs. |
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Activities The criteria for product selection were based on site-specific factors, including ground permeability, site sensitivity and the need for controlled release or re-use of water. The drains also needed to be able to control runoff from a once in a hundred years rainfall. The answer was a unique Charcon product, PermavoidTM, a geo-cellular interlocking box structure (strong but light, made of recycled plastic). This product and technique fitted perfectly with the sporting village’s vision of a sustainable community. |
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Results The system maximizes water storage at minimum depth and is suitable for any application where a traditional aggregate sub-base could be used. It saves on virgin materials by using recycled plastic. A main benefit is improved water quality in sensitive locations. The approach mimics nature, enabling natural bio-degradation of hydrocarbons and the dilution of other contaminants. |
