Permeable developments from Formpave
Next week sees the opening of the 8th International Conference on Concrete Block Paving at the exceptionally plush Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco. This multinational gathering of the CBP industry takes place on a three-yearly basis, and this year the theme is "Sustainable Paving for Our Future". A review of the conference will be posted on this site some time during the week Nov 13-18th, depending on how long it takes to recover from the 14 hour flight back to Britain.
The papers being delivered to the conference include a significant contribution from manufacturers based in Britain and Ireland, with no less than seven presentations from Formpave along with an overview of the permeable paving market in Ireland from Craig McBride of Tobermore .
Formpave are rightly acknowledged as a world authority in the field of sustainable urban drainage systems (SUDS), and they first introduced permeable paving to the British market 12 years ago. Through an extensive R&D programme of engineering and technology innovation Formpave continues to pioneer this technology both in Britain and around the world via a number of licensees who manufacture the Formpave patented permeable paving products in various countries.
Dr Stephen Coupe, a Formpave consultant and industry renowned permeable paving specialist, is presenting seven technical papers at the conference, each based on his extensive research in partnership with Formpave and the Faculty of Engineering and Computing at Coventry University, . The titles of the papers are:
- - Permeable Pavements for Water Recycling and Reuse: Initial Results and Future Prospects
- - Pollution Retention and Biodegration within Pervious Pavements
- - The Microbiogy of Permeable Pavements
- - A Comparison of the Effect of Clean and Waste Mineral Oils on Permeable Pavements
- - Maintenance of Oil-degrading Permeable Pavements: Microbes, Nutrients and Long-term Water Quality Provision
- - The Analysis of Permeable Pavement Microbial Biofilms by Electron Microscopy
- - The Effect of Glyphosate Containing Herbicides on the Survival of Microorganisms Isolated from Permeable Pavements
Overall, the conference will focus on the environmental design issues of paving, and the ecological, energy, safety and visual design needs in the 21st century, with emphasis on permeable paving, storm water management, design for the disabled and Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED).
Commenting on the conference participation, Kate Robinson, director at Formpave, said,
“We are delighted to be involved in this international conference and feel it is important to share our technical knowledge and research findings with the industry. Permeable paving is a fast growing sector globally and conferences such as this ensure technology and research continues to positively impact the environment.”
Investment and Research in SUDS
During the past 12 years Formpave has sponsored an ongoing programme of research and development into permeable paving systems at a number of academic and independent institutions including Coventry University, Edinburgh University, Abertay University, Delft University, HR Wallingford and TRL at Crowthorne. Every aspect of Formpave's permeable paving system has been independently tested and verified - both in terms of pollution control properties and hydraulic and structural performance. Formpave has always shared (and continues to share) the results of this research with the industry, and it is this approach that has established them as the world leader in permeable paving solutions.Formpave's programme of research and collaborations is ongoing - looking at new areas in which permeable paving systems can be utilised. The company currently sponsors a PhD student at Edinburgh University and a separate sponsored PhD is about to commence at the University of Cantabria in Spain.
Formpave manufactures the market leading Aquaflow Permeable Paving and Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SUDS), providing an affordable solution to the challenges of storm water disposal and treatment, water conservation, recycling and reuse. The company's 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, representing additional environmental benefits and cost savings.
