ACO DRAIN IN PRESTIGIOUS WSUD PROJECTS
5 June 2012
Two high profile Australian projects feature ACO’s recent contribution to water sensitive urban design (WSUD).
Two high profile Australian projects feature ACO’s recent contribution to water sensitive urban design (WSUD) - Dorset Square Car Park redevelopment in Melbourne; and the Pitt Street Mall upgrade in Sydney.
Recently featured in the publication, Engineers Australia, is Knox City Council’s award winning Dorset Square Car Park redevelopment. The Stormwater Industry Association of Victoria commended the project for the quality of the drainage integration for both permeable and impermeable pavements whilst adhering to the principles of WSUD.
Storm Consulting, the project’s engineers, incorporated KlassikDrain with Heelguard Iron grates for the drainage of the impermeable pavements. Both the paving and trench drain systems were structurally supported with concrete edge strips and foundations that tie into the surrounding concrete pavements.
Pitt Street Mall, the well known pedestrianised section of Pitt Street, has also recently undergone a major refurbishment. Bound by Market Street and King Street, it is one of Australia’s busiest and most cosmopolitan shopping precincts. The upgrade included new granite paving and landscaping; a new catenary lighting system; public street furniture and fixtures; and most significantly, an environmentally sustainable water management solution where the stormwater is diverted off awnings directly onto vegetation. This was largely achieved with the re-grade of the existing surface to fall into the centre to a trench drain made to evoke the Tank Stream, Sydney’s original water source.
Planners required the appearance of the drain to harmonise with the new paving design and the architecture of the old buildings nearby. Architects, Tony Caro and Associates designed a pattern for ACO to portray on its ductile iron grates. The sequence of grates would then allow the pattern to have visual continuity to suggest the effect of water trickling down the pavement. A lighting system is also suspended in the underlying channel run to give a unique visual night effect.
ACO’s custom designed grates are rated to Class D210kN (AS3996) to cater for emergency and maintenance vehicles; and are locked into ACO’s 300mm wide modular precast drainage system. The sequence of grates would allow the pattern to have visual continuity to suggest the effect of water trickling down the pavement.
Sustainable drainage is an element of the hydrological cycle. It is the collection of rainwater, its treatment and, ultimately, its reuse. The process involves capturing water run-off, which may or may not contain pollutants, so it can be dealt with in a controlled manner. The water can then be treated, stored for future use, or transported to receiving waterways. This transfer of water should come at low cost, and cause minimal damage and danger to the environment.
Surface drainage, as exhibited in both these recent projects, can be used where rainwater has collected on impermeable areas for the ‘capture’ part of this process. Grated trench drains are ideal for the capture and collection of stormwater runoff. They form a barrier to prevent run-off from flowing onto the soft landscaping where collection is more difficult. ACO provides a wide range of trench drains to meet the hydraulic needs of WSUD projects.
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