© Pipelife
From flooding to water scarcity: Pipelife rainwater management solutions help no matter what the scenario, says Category Manager Ulrich Bohle.
Ulrich Bohle: Rainwater management is becoming increasingly important for both people and the environment. One reason for this is climate change: For a start, water is becoming scarcer. Surface sealing in cities leads to heat stress and reduces groundwater recharge. At the same time, extreme weather events are increasing the risk of flooding and pushing wastewater and drain systems to the limits of their capacity. This is why a holistic approach to the management of the precious resource water is needed.
“Be it drought or torrential rain – we cannot prevent extreme weather events. But we can significantly reduce their impact.”
Bohle: Be it drought or torrential rain – we cannot prevent extreme weather events. But we can significantly reduce their impact: Traditionally, the priority was to drain rainwater away as quickly as possible. Nowadays, however, when there are heavy rainstorms, especially in cities with many sealed surfaces, the water does not run off quickly enough and collects on the surface. We can see examples of this all over the world. Rainwater management ensures that water can seep away in a controlled manner or be retained for reuse.
Moreover, in some regions, there is no longer an adequate supply of industrial and drinking water. It therefore makes sense to harvest precious rainfall and use it, for example, to water parks and gardens. Falling groundwater levels also means that in some cities trees dry out or require extensive care and maintenance. In such cases, “tree tanks“ can help by storing rainwater for them.
Increased surface sealing goes hand in hand with urban overheating – known as the heat island effect. An integrated approach to rainwater management can provide valuable help here too. For example, in new development areas, where we create solutions in cooperation with project developers. Many of these measures have an impact that goes beyond the individual building since green roofs and facades improve the micro-climate and have a cooling effect on the surrounding area.
Bohle: Given the complexity of the issue there is a need for integrated solutions. wienerberger’s systems allow water to be either captured on the surface, discharged, filtered, infiltrated into the ground and/or harvested for reuse, depending on the requirements. Our modular solutions can be implemented in a variety of designs and sizes, ranging from smaller systems for homes to large-scale industrial applications that can store several thousand cubic meters of water in the ground.
“Given the complexity of the issue there is a need for integrated solutions. wienerberger’s modular systems allow water to be either captured on the surface, discharged, filtered, infiltrated into the ground and/or harvested for reuse, depending on the requirements.”
Bohle: We come in as soon rain falls onto a surface. We have the right tiles, gutters, membranes and so on for both flat and pitched roofs. We also have individual solutions up our sleeve for other surfaces, including roads, car parks, green roofs and facades. To say nothing of our wide range of piping solutions.
Rainfall can absorb pollutants from the air or heavy metals from surfaces before the water seeps away or is captured for temporary storage. We therefore offer a wide range of filter and purification solutions that can be adapted to the specific requirements of the site. They remove residues of dust, metals and other contaminants.
Bohle: The water is then temporarily retained for reuse or allowed to soak away naturally. At the heart of our stormwater management system are soakaway crates, known as stormboxes. When wrapped in geotextiles they create an underground reservoir. When it rains, excess water is absorbed into the permeable stormboxes and then gradually discharged back into the soil, replenishing the groundwater and thus remaining in the natural cycle.
If the water is to be retained and used for other purposes, the underground stormboxes are wrapped in foil to create a sealed tank. The precious resource can then be used for watering gardens or flushing toilets in nearby buildings. It is also possible to discharge the water into the wastewater and sewer systems in a controlled manner without overloading these systems.
© Pipelife
Customized all-in solution: Rainwater is collected, filtered and then stored for use or allowed to seep away into the ground.
Bohle: We offer a number of options to manage our solutions. There are simple systems that allow our customers to monitor water levels in the stormboxes with a digital sensor. This provides information about fill levels and how much free capacity is still available. Evaluations and visualizations can also be created. For example, changes in infiltration rates are measured over time and this information is used to indicate in advance that maintenance work is needed. There are also valves and pumps with which the system can be controlled proactively. If heavy rain is forecast, operators receive a mobile phone alert telling them to empty the tanks manually if they are filled to a high level.
Based on weather forecasts and a machine learning model, digital systems can even perform this aspect of rainwater management completely automatically. If extreme rainfall is forecast, water is released from the tank by artificial intelligence (AI) to free up capacity for additional water. Customers decide individually which solution best meets their needs.
Bohle: There are several. Take for example Pipelife Austria’s Sales Outlet in Linz/Leonding, which is equipped with our latest stormwater management system. Underground solutions combined with green facades and roofs save a great deal of space, especially when compared to the kind of overground gutters and drains we could otherwise have used. In Linz, our solution gave us an additional ten percent of space, which can now be used for logistics operations. This is a win-win situation for businesses and the environment.
Rainwater management is also becoming an increasingly relevant factor in green building certification. This is the case for example with buildings that seal large surfaces, such as supermarkets, DIY stores, warehouses and logistics centers. Our integrated solutions are an essential element for meeting high standards of sustainability.
Best practice example: state-of-the-art rainwater management system is in place at Pipelife Austria’s logistics center in Linz, Leonding.
Pipelife Austria’s logistics center and sales outlet in Leonding, Austria, has become a showcase project thanks to its all-in solutions for rainwater management. The site features a state-of-the-art system for water use with two underground stormboxes, as well as green roofs and facades that use integrated filter technology: This all-in solution for industrial and commercial spaces offers much more than just flood protection. It provides an integrated and sustainable approach that effectively tackles water-related challenges in urban areas. Innovative methods of biological filtration were developed in cooperation with BOKU University in Vienna and are now being tested and further developed with this partner.
Bohle: Many people are showing an increased interest in building and renovating their homes sustainably. Some countries also have legal regulations in place: In Belgium, for example, every new building is required to have a rainwater storage tank. We have solutions that enable homeowners to harvest and store rainwater and then use it for watering the garden, flushing toilets or even washing laundry. During hot summers, they also allow householders to circumvent the hose pipe bans that are becoming increasingly common in many countries.
What’s more, these solutions offer a fully integrated approach, combining for example roof drainage systems, leaf catchers, filter shafts and underground rainwater storage tanks with automatic pump control and digital monitoring of the fill level. Depending on local conditions and requirements, the system can be connected to an infiltration or sewage system.
We have already planned and implemented combined solutions for new large-scale real estate developments. Here, the underground storage tanks are installed centrally and connected to a group of buildings. Depending on how the system is designed, the water in the tanks can also be reused in the buildings or on the grounds. Shared use of the underground infrastructure also significantly reduces the costs for users connected to the system.
Bohle: A great deal is happening in this area. Firstly, we all realize that water is in shorter supply and that at the same time floods are becoming more frequent. As a result, there is a growing interest in rainwater management - also among local authorities and businesses. In addition, the legal framework is changing. With our comprehensive expertise, we at wienerberger already have suitable all-in solutions at hand.
Ulrich Bohle is Category Manager Infrastructure at Pipelife and joined the world of wienerberger in 2012. “I have always cared about sustainability, the circular economy and water management. My work in this innovative field is motivated by a desire to get our society’s infrastructure fit for the future,” says the engineer.
© Robert Staudinger
