Flooding may well turn out to be an unhappy fact of life in the UK.
Last year was one of the wettest on record and devastating floods made the headlines in January of that year. The issue of how to tackle the threat of flooding is now something that is much talked about by architects.
"Given the current housing crisis in the UK, it isn't realistic to ban building on the floodplain outright," said Wayne Langford, of Sudstech. "Architects have always been problem-solvers and this is one big problem that has to be thought through.
"Crucially, architects should be considering the possibility of flooding early on in a project's lifespan, and make flood-prevention a key element in building design. This may involve them adapting their approach to one of greater design integration. In doing this they are likely to discover that there's no one fixed solution.
"In terms of cost-effectiveness and versatility, the use of porous materials for drainage is a strong contender for an easily integrated, preventative measure. New innovations can be key in providing both drainage and water conservation as part of any new building design."
"Porous paving systems, Trailflex and Sudstech can be used in a variety of settings, commercial and domestic. Due to the unique design of both these systems, utilising recycled tyres, porosity is guaranteed for 10 years."
