Increasingly, rainwater harvesting is a key term in sustainability. The benefits are, literally, all too clear: it costs nothing, it’s free from limescale, and is potentially an unlimited resource.
Now two of the biggest names in “rain-harvesting” in the UK have joined forces. Fullflow and Stormsaver have teamed up to provide a “one-stop-shop” for syphonic drainage and water-saving solutions. By pooling their knowledge and expertise, they will only increase their presence in the rain-harvesting industry.
Fullflow will bring their technological know-how to the table. Established in 1986, they have developed a number of systems that use the least number of pipes as possible; laying down fewer pipes means essential savings can be made on construction and underground work.
Specialising in syphonic systems, pipework can be routed horizontally and, if required, can go around obstacles. Normal drainage systems operate on a “part-full” basis (the gutter may be half-full, but water still flows away). Fullflow systems – as the name might suggest – operate only when the pipe, or drain, is completely full and water is sucked, or syphoned, away. This moves the water very quickly, allowing it to be channelled horizontally without any obstruction.
Stormsaver will also bring their tailored solutions to the partnership. They offer three different systems: a pressurised, a non-pressurised and a domestic solution. Each product offers a large storage tank which can range from 1,000 litres to 300,000 litres (or 100,000 litres above ground). Their systems include a number of vital control sensors to monitor how much water is being collected.
Of course, saving rain is nothing new: gardens all over the country have a water-butt to draw in rain from the gutters. The difference now is that it is being more effectively collected and processed. Once it was just used for watering the flowerbeds in the summer months; now, rainwater is being used for urinal and toilet flushing; cleaning laundry and vehicle washing.
In other sustainable news, roof-gardens are becoming increasingly attractive, both for aesthetic reasons and for their environmental benefits. Over the past few years Alumasc, a group that specialises in aluminium products, has successfully designed and installed roof gardens for a number of its clients.
“Our focus on sustainable products is increasing,” says Paul Hooper, chief executive. “Green roofs are basically flat roofs with a mixture of soil, crushed brick on a drainage layer and plants. You are in some cases putting lawns and gardens on roofs, which sounds very simple, but it’s actually a hi-tech operation.”
Companies are attracted to roof gardens because they keep buildings cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. Furthermore, there’s the obvious benefit that on sunny days employees can use the roof garden to relax in during their lunch hours or after work.
The environmental benefits are considerable. “Roof gardens help to reduce pollution because they filter out dust and smog particles, and help to reduce carbon emissions and noise,” says Hooper. “In the case of storms, they stop flash-flooding into the drainage system as the roofs will hold the water and allow it to flow out more slowly.”
One company that has taken advantage of Alumasc’s rooftop gardens is Rolls Royce who commissioned a garden for their factory in Goodwood. Believed to be the largest single-span “living roof” in Europe, it covers 40,000 square metres; covered by thousands of sedum plants, the roof makes the building virtually invisible from the air. It has also become a major attraction for birdlife; seven nesting pairs of skylarks have recently been spotted in the garden.
Alumasc is expanding the sustainable part of their business, too. The firm recently acquired Levolux, a supplier of solar shading sytems, for £13.5 million. The company produces energy-efficient shades that control the exposure of buildings to sunlight. “The shades reflect the sun before it strikes the glass,” says Hooper. “Shades in the building can stop glare, but they don’t stop the heat coming in.”
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