P
ermeable paving solutions are a hot
topic at the moment with an ever
increase range of products and
systems being brought to the market.
Often it’s not the top surface that restricts
permeability but the sub bases beneath it
that ends up being the most restrictive
factor. Some of the most widely available
sub bases come from variations of asphalt
and concrete, where the manufacturer
will remove ‘fines’ from the mix and
increase the ratio of larger aggregate
particles to create a product with small
voids, in that allows water to pass through
in much the same way that resin bound
paving performs.
For most applications this type of sub
base is the best performing and most cost
effective option when specifying permeable
paving areas, but what about those
projects with heavily restricted access such
as roof terraces, courtyards or pathways
between buildings, and those areas that
require special attention such as tree pits
and tree protection zones?
Cellular grid structures offer strong,
free draining and eco friendly solutions
for areas with special requirements
and are available in a wide variety of
depths and materials. Once laid they can
be filled with a crushed and compacted
aggregate or, in certain applications, a
soil/planting mixture and sown with grass
seed. This can then be left exposed as a
finished surface, or used as a sub base to
then install a permeable wearing course
Duncan Andrews of SureSet looks at how cellular paving systems can offer the ideal
solutions for SuDS requirements, in particular in sites with restricted space
Solving permeability problems
Cellular paving is a rapidly
expanding paving option
due to its relatively low
cost and simple
installation process
requiring minimal
specialist tools and its low
skill installation process
LANDSCAPING & EXTERNAL WORKS 87ADF JUNE 2019 WWW.ARCHITECTSDATAFILE.CO.UK