EDUCATION-FEB10-PG32:Page 6 02/02/2010 10:05 Page 32
Building, Maintenance, Refurbishment & Grounds
Drains pass
school test
ACO monocast drains help create new eco-school environment
D
esigners of a new extension to Banbury The new £6million extension, which is Stanbridge Building, the combined
School in Oxfordshire have used two known as the Stanbridge Building, is one of kerb/channel system, ACO KerbDrain,
monocast drainage systems from water Oxfordshire County Council’s largest publicly has been used. This system, which has an
management specialist, ACO Technologies, funded projects. It comprises 27 state-of-the- identical profile to an HB2 kerbstone and
to create an external environment that is in art classrooms set across two wings linked carries a Load Class D400 rating, minimises
harmony with the building’s ecological by a glazed circular hub. Designed to in-carriageway groundwork and installation
ambitions. The systems, ACO KerbDrain and maximise energy efficiency and minimise time.
ACO ParkDrain, which are both CO2 emissions, the architects, Mouchel, have Vienite™, the material from which both
manufactured from Vienite™ - a used the external envelope of the building to ACO ParkDrain and ACO KerbDrain are
breakthrough recycled material, form a introduce new pathways and open piazzas manufactured, uses locally-sourced recycled
drainage network that quickly removes that help integrate the structure within the materials and can itself be fully recycled.
surface water from new areas of layout of existing school buildings. “Being able to specify a recycled material
hardstanding to a series of soakaways that “Along with the new open areas between with a low-carbon footprint reinforces the
recharge local groundwater and reduce flood the buildings, we increased the size of the environmental credentials of the project,”
risk by ensuring there is no additional load adjacent car park – an area that had been concludes David Johnson.
on the existing main sewers. prone to surface water ponding during the All ACO Technologies’ monocast highway
winter. To ensure we minimised the drainage systems carry the BSI Kitemark™.
environmental impact of these changes, we This clarifies the manufacturing and
looked for a sustainable drainage solution performance standards met by the products
that would protect the existing mains and provides engineers and contractors with
drains,” says David Johnson, Project Architect absolute assurance that each complies fully
at Mouchel. “Replacing the point gullies in with all the requirements of the Highways
the car park with a channel system gave us Agency and BS EN 1433:2002 Annex D. They
the performance we needed and using a form part of an comprehensive range of
monocast design, where there are no water management and drainage systems
separate gratings, gave additional security that cover virtually all internal and external
benefits that suited the school environment. applications from heavyside, high-load civils
Linking these to a series of four soakaways projects to bespoke architectural systems set
at the perimeter of the car park completed in demanding, visually-sensitive arenas.
the SUDS network. In operation, because we
have brought the existing car parking areas ACO TECHNOLOGIES
into the new catchment, we have now ACO Technologies designs and manufactures
succeeded in reducing total mains discharge drainage, water management and
volumes from the site.” landscaping systems for virtually all internal
For the car park, Mouchel selected the and external applications. Twice winner of
ACO ParkDrain system. Rated Load Class The Queen’s Award for Enterprise:
C250, three inter-linked runs have been Innovation, the company has pioneered the
installed. The system was also used to drain development of channel and high capacity
the visually sensitive paved area surrounding drainage systems.
the glazed entrance hub. Along the curved
kerb line of the refurbished car park access !www.aco.co.uk
road and a new service road to the !01462 816666
32
www.education-today.co.uk February 2010
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