Hydro-Brake® Optimum flow controls and Stormcell® storage protect Edinburgh housing from floods and save developers over 30% in storage construction costs.

Situation

Edinburgh City Council's "21st Century Homes" housing development was initiated to provide affordable housing in the city.

Problem

Scottish Water set the discharge consent at 4.5 L/s/ha. The 3.1 ha site incorporated 1.9 ha of hard surfaces, including roofs of 215 homes, roads and car parking, and the site had limited space for significant landscaping features.

Solution

Consultant Engineers Will Rudd Davidson selected three Hydro-Brake® Optimum flow controls with Stormcell® storage to manage water quantity on the development.

Outcome

The Hydro-Brake® Optimum flow controls and Stormcell® storage blocks reduced the storage volume required from 597 m³ to 487 m³, and enables the development to cope with storms ranging from 1 in 30 year to 1 in 100 year events.

"We could save around 30% in construction costs for the storage, which easily offset initial investment," said Craig Milne, Director, Will Rudd Davidson, "So the decision to incorporate Hydro-Brake® Optimum was very easy to make.

Image courtesy of Edinburgh City Council