PRODUCT SHOWCASE
By-Pass Benefits from Innovative Hydro Vortex Drop™ Shaft Technology
A
n innovative and unconventional solution to providing vital, low-impact surface water control on
one of Britain’s largest local authority road schemes was achieved using Hydro International’s Hydro Vortex Drop™ Shaft flow control technology.
A new 7 km bypass built by Costain at Church Village required careful planning to minimise its effect on the countryside and the local environment. Rhondda Cynon Taff Council needed to bypass Church Village to reduce traffic disruption on the A473, between Pontypridd and Talbot Green.
The challenges in managing surface water both from natural and developed features were considerable, including run-off from the surrounding hilly countryside, existing drainage from several disused railway installations and groundwater from disused mineshafts. If this had not been carefully diverted around the new road, it could have ponded, and created unplanned standing water or even undermined structures. “One important problem with a new road like a bypass is the potential disruption to surface water flow in the area,” comments Costain’s Project Manager, John Lee. “The building of structures which block natural surface water flow lines across the landscape, or flow from existing construction like roads,
has to be carefully planned.
“I have not used the Hydro Drop™ Shaft technique before, but it seems a simple and non-disruptive solution which avoided much greater expense.” Simon Edwards, Principal Engineer,
Water and Environment, for Atkins Limited, the consultant on the project adds: “We decided to divert the ground water under the new bypass along a culvert built over an old rail track bed. From there, the water had to descend around four metres to a small local stream bed and then into the River Taff. Uncontrolled, this drop of water would have scoured away the stream bed, and caused unacceptable environmental damage. “The design therefore incorporated
a Hydro Vortex Drop™ Shaft. It is a single-shaft self-activating system with no moving parts and is designed to quietly and safely drop water or sewage from heights in a space-saving design. “The maximum design flow was
1m3
/sec through a 600mm pipe reducing to 450mm. By inducing a vortex at the lower end of the drop, the Hydro Vortex Drop™ shaft provides the energy dissipation which prevents excess flow force at the discharge.”
An alternative solution to the Hydro Drop™ Shaft had been to build a cascade to take the flow down
over successive weirs. “This would have involved
considerable and expensive earthworks through the rail embankment,” pointed out John Lee. “Additionally, cutting into old rail ground structures can create all sorts of trouble as no-one knows what is in there, all the records had disappeared. It was much simpler to install the Drop™ Shaft and with less visual impact too.” Equal care was paid to other environmental parameters, from the planting of 117,000 new trees and shrubs and using 300,000 tyres as part of the landfill to building three connecting bridges across the road for the use of local dormice, an endangered species. Rhondda Cynon Taff Council granted planning permission in 2006 with a £90 million grant from the Welsh Assembly Government; the road was opened to traffic in Autumn 2010. For more information about the Hydro
Vortex Drop™ Shaft or any of its Water and Wastewater treatment products, please contact 01353 645700, email
enquiries@hydro-international.co.uk or visit
www.hydro-int.com
An Expansive Feel to a Public Meeting Area
iving residents easy access to a variety of council and voluntary sector services in one area, the Public Service Plaza in Havant is an innovative change to the way that local authority services work together. Style, specialists in moveable partitioning systems, worked with contractor Morgan Sindall and Hampshire County Council’s architects to deliver a solution that ensures the most effective use of space at all times.
G
By providing the best possible services to the public under one roof, the new Plaza means fewer journeys for residents and staff, reduced travel costs and a lower carbon footprint. Supporting this drive for long term sustainability, Style’s sliding partitions maximise the use of facilities whilst minimising energy costs by reducing the need to heat areas that are not in use.
The mezzanine area consists of a series of meeting chambers. Aiming to create flexible space whilst maximising the light into the rooms and offering as much visibility as possible, DORMA Moveo Glass was selected as the most suitable solution. The chambers can be quickly closed to create individual rooms, then opened up one by one into the foyer. With all chambers opened out, a single expanse is available for larger events. “The solution using Moveo offers a feeling of space, as well as maximising flexibility,” said Julian Sargent, Style’s group managing director. “Once in situ, the whole area is very light, creating a feeling of an open community. The space can be sub-divided with ease whilst offering an excellent acoustic performance with the 50dB Rw rated product.” Style also installed DORMA Variflex
solid partitions with a white finish into additional meeting rooms which required a different feel and greater privacy.
www.style-partitions.co.uk Email:
sales@style-partitions.co.uk Tel: 01202 874044
PUBLIC SECTOR SUSTAINABILITY • VOLUME 2 ISSUE 5 45
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48