Jorge Corrales, an architect at the Institute of Ceramic Technology in Castellón, explains more about the Drainker project and its vision to help mitigate climate change.
The EU-funded Drainker project, in Spain’s Valencia region, has refined and industrialised a new design for paving.
Instead of using concrete or asphalt, ceramic tiles are spaced and placed on their sides, to allow as much water as possible to soak into the ground, during heavy rainfall in urban areas.
The project, also supported by the Valencian Government, is now ready for full-scale production.
“Drainker is a permeable path that is created thanks to the joining of different ceramic pieces, placed on their edge,” explains Jorge Corrales.
“This pavement has a series of raised surfaces that allow the pieces to be separated and allows us to obtain a multi-joint pavement, which favours the drainage of water into the ground.”
‘High drainage capacity’
Jorge stressed that one of the main characteristics of the product is its “high drainage capacity,” highlighting that “once installed, can exceed the permeability values of 10,000 litres per square metre, per hour.”
“To evaluate the permeability of this pavement, we carried out a test that allows us to measure the time it takes for the pavement to infiltrate a certain amount of water,” explained Corrales.
National and European hopes
A Spanish company is said to have started industrialising and commercialising the product, with efforts underway to get the new footpath design installed in urban spaces.
“We have designed a product and an industrialised process that allows companies in the ceramic sector to carry out full-scale production,” said Corrales.
“For us, it would be a success if this type of product could be incorporated into projects, both nationally and at a European level. And, above all, that they allow us to mitigate all the effects of climate change, and that they improve the management of rainwater in cities.”