paving

Paving can add interest to the landscape of a property as well as create sustainable drainage. Kevin Stanley speaks to the paving companies offering attractive, functional products and systems

Kerb-appeal plays a large part in selling houses. Paving can help to create and define the character of a development and it is the first

thing housebuyers see when considering a purchase. Fortunately, there is a wealth of choice of colour, size, shape, material, texture and finish, giving designers total freedom in what they create and offering homebuyers a stylish property and individuality.

In order to promote and maximise kerb-appeal, Interpave’s manufacturer members have moved away

Pavingfrom simple, regular patterns and colours to create an extensive palette of styles, shapes, colours and textures to meet current demands in urban design, matching – and often exceeding – the visual qualities of more expensive materials. “At the same time they’re visually attractive and able to deliver distinctive local character to meet planning requirements with the capability

for visual or tactile differentiation between particular areas,” says Chris Hodson, consultant to Interpave. “They’re accessible to all with consistent slip and skid resistance. In particular, concrete block permeable paving – a key SuDS (sustainable drainage) feature –

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Tobermore’s Hydropave permeable paving products allow “the creation of spectacular hard landscaping features with environmentally friendly products”

the way

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Permeable paving creates attractive paving combined with a proven and highly effective SuDS system, says Marshalls. Pictured: a Redrow scheme with Marshalls’ Priora system

��Continued from page 61is inherently well drained to avoid standing water.”

Developers looking for the latest innovation in paving however should consider ThermaPave from Formpave, an ingenious new system capable of harvesting surface rainwater, which can then be used as the energy source for a ground source heat pump. This provides energy efficient heating and cooling for buildings. “ThermaPave turns paved areas such as car parks into energy and revenue generators. ThermPave reduces the main barrier to ground source heat pumps by greatly simplifying installation and associated costs, making it a much more affordable sustainable energy solution for many companies,” explains Marc Asker, renewables manager at Formpave. On top of the heating and water bill savings and flood defence benefits that ThermaPave brings, the government provides attractive financial

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Form and functionAs with all building products an important question will be – which is most important – form or function? The simple answer of course is both – paving must be capable of performing its purpose whilst the aesthetics of paving can make an impact on the value of a property. “Hard landscaping materials should equally prioritise both form and function, says Andrew Gill, marketing manager at Brett Landscaping. “The paving products we design, manufacture and supply, enable architects to devise hard landscaping layouts that are visually dazzling and contribute greatly to the aesthetic design of our country’s urban landscape. However, product form must be supported by an exceptional standard of function, which is why our material engineering process ensures product permanence, suitability, human safety and environmental compatibility.”

The hottest topic in paving continues to be sustainable drainage systems. Without doubt, the impact of SuDS is on hard landscape and paving, now that they are a planning requirement for many developments. Interpave is developing concrete block permeable paving as a SuDS technique in the UK. In particular, innovative approaches are being taken with concrete block permeable paving as an integrated, multi-functional SuDS technique. “These include use of discrete sub-catchments of permeable paving, including on slopes, with flow controls for demonstrable water storage to meet local authority requirements,” says Chris Hodson. “This approach minimises excavation, cuts construction costs and can eliminate the need for land-take and water storage elsewhere on the site. Permeable paving is also being used as a thin drainage layer over existing road constructions to feed adjacent rain-gardens, again reducing costs.”

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��Continued from page 62inducements through the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) from the Department of Energy & Climate Change (DECC). This pays users of ground source systems a financial incentive to increase the uptake of renewable heat, which can amount to £350,000 over 20 years for even a relatively small commercial system. Ground source heat pumps offer the highest return on investment through the RHI (which is guaranteed for 20 years and index-linked to inflation), and provide energy efficient heating, meaning an income boost for companies which opt for such systems. “Businesses wanting to reduce their carbon emissions, slash their heating bills and reduce the risk of flooding can tick all three boxes by installing an Aquaflow ThermaPave system,” says Asker.

In seeking future solutions to avoid the scale of devastation caused by the winter 2015 floods, the industry spotlight has been highlighting the need for paving manufacturers to create innovative pavingsolutions that can best address the issue of surface water management. “By installing permeable, as opposed to non-porous paving, rainfall has ‘somewhere to go’ as it passes through the pavement

structure rather than remaining on the surface, which can be the cause of immeasurable damage in flash flooding conditions,” explains Andrew Gill, marketing manager at Brett Landscaping. Brett Landscaping has long been a forerunner in the development of permeable paving and believes it is a vital area of development and where the future of paving

innovation will lie.”SuDS often hit the headlines as permeable systems

can provide a cost effective and aesthetically pleasing solution. “There is also a move from some areas of new build construction towards more interesting product styles and laying patterns, moving away from the more

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Formpave’s Thermapave harvests surface rainwater which can be used as the energy source for a ground source heat pump

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permeable is the ideal way to prevent surface water runoff – but where hardstanding is required, permeable paving provides the best possible compromise.”

Clearly the need to use permeable paving for improved surface water management remains very topical. We now have the required technology to avoid much of the

��Continued from page 65traditional rectangular paving laid in a herringbone pattern,” says Chris Wisson, national housebuilder account manager at Tobermore. “Additionally, heavy duty paving is something that is increasingly sought after for roadways and trafficked areas. That is why Tobermore introduced the innovative City Pave VS5 range. City Pave VS5 is designed with shift protection on five sides of each block, including a special profile on the bottom surface that produces a clawing effect in the pavement bed. This ensures continuous protection against pavement shifting.”

dual-purposePermeable paving is a dual-purpose SuDS solution. “It provides attractive paving in conjunction with a proven and highly effective SuDS system. It’s really simple technology that requires no special materials or techniques to install, and requires minimal maintenance to keep it functioning in top condition,” says Chris Griffiths, water management expert at Marshalls. “Obviously, keeping green land open and naturally

flooding that we have experienced in the UK over the past ten years. So what is preventing developers from using this effective solution? Unfortunately there is a misconception within the market that permeable paving requires a burdensome amount of upkeep.

Changes will come but the situation may become worse before it improves. Extreme weather events which lead to flooding will continue to occur until the implementation of preventative measures, such as the use of permeable paving, is not recommended but enforced. In the meantime manufacturers will need to continue promoting the importance of SuDS. hb

KEY CONTACTSBrett Landscaping www.brettpaving.co.ukFormpave www.forterra.co.uk/formpaveInterpave www.paving.org.ukMarshalls www.marshalls.co.uk/commercialTobermore www.tobermore.co.uk

“Heavy duty paving is something that is increasingly sought after for roadways and trafficked areas”. Chris Wisson, national housebuilder account manager, Tobermore