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The consequences of climate change – heavy rainfall events, heatwaves and droughts – pose major challenges for urban areas in particular, and require new urban adaptation measures. There is an urgent need for innovative greening concepts on the one hand, and integrated stormwater management on the other hand.
Instead of draining rainwater through sewer systems, the valuable resource of water needs to be stored on site with the help of blue-green infrastructures, and fed back into the urban water cycle. Together with urban planners and landscaping experts, ACO develops and realises practical solutions for your sponge city. Be inspired by our innovative concepts.
A holistic view of the natural water cycle is in our DNA. Our aim is to help preserve clean groundwater as a vital resource and thus make a valuable contribution to the world of tomorrow. For this reason, we create systems with which water can be collected and channelled, purified, stored and ultimately reused.
With its intensively greened roof and façade areas, the extended High Bunker in Hamburg‘s St. Pauli district, which now boasts five floors, is based on the principle of the sponge city.
Drainage ensures greenery. This vertical sponge city was made possible thanks to an innovative drainage concept that utilised ACO products.
On the roof terraces and on the façade around the barrier-free entrances, channels ensure effective rainwater absorption. On the approximately 560 metre-long green ‘mountain path’, ACO Self® turf honeycombs promote greening, accessibility and the elimination of paving.
A new office complex was built on an area of over 15,000 m² in Bonn‘s Gronau district. As almost the entire site is located on an underground car park, green spaces are rare. Together with ACO Technical Sales, RMP Stephan Lenzen Landschaftsarchitekten developed solutions for climate-resilient areas. Due to the risk of flooding in the city centre, complex special drainage solutions were required. Rainwater is stored, drained away in a controlled manner or reused for vegetation.
Climate-resilient, heritage-compliant, tourist-friendly: an innovative stormwater management system with ACO solutions is taking shape at Berlin‘s Gendarmenmarkt Square.
For the Berlin Senate, the redevelopment of the Gendarmenmarkt Square symbolises sustainable urban redevelopment that meets the challenges of climate change. Thanks to a comprehensive system rainwater is collected, cleaned and discharged in a controlled manner back into the water cycle.
The square, a tourist hotspot, is being modernised with new natural stone and underground infrastructure solutions, such as channel and infiltration systems. ACO supplied solutions specially tailored to the requirements of the square to prevent flooding and stabilise the groundwater level.
As part of the hi Harbach housing development project, a central park with an adjoining promenade will be created. In future, this open space will serve as a recreational area with a wide range of activities for all generations. The surface drainage is based on the ecological principle of reusing the collected water.
In the park area, all paths are drained into the green areas. Part of the promenade drains the surface water via the ACO DRAIN® Multiline drainage system, which is connected to the ACO Sponge City street drain, in the area of the promenade trees. The collected rainwater is cleaned to remove coarse particles and sediment and channelled via seepage pipes to the underground sponge city structure based on the Stockholm system – making it available to the tree roots.
Increasing weather extremes pose challenges for cities. Sustainable stormwater management systems are necessary for a good quality of life and to minimise the consequences of climate change. Together with IAA Architecten and the municipality of Raalte, ACO has developed an intelligent irrigation system for trees, that uses sensors to irrigate as needed. Twelve tree-districts in the centre of Raalte have been equipped with this system. It collects rainwater, stores it and waters the trees automatically. Sensors determine the amount of water required, allowing the system to work efficiently and conserve resources.
