• Rain Garden

Rain Garden

Context 

We live in an urban age: there is no such thing as a “natural” environment anymore, but only degrees of integration with the anthropic, with humans and our infrastructures. Our urban and natural environments are so intertwined and interdependent they should be considered as one complex system (just imagine how many sources of water contribute to London’s clear water supply, or the carbon footprint of the metropolis, spanning way beyond its geographical boundaries!).

Of all infrastructures, the hydrological is probably the most extensive, complex and fragile: it comprises of both natural and artificial water bodies, canals, but also machines, pumps, filters, barriers. We store water in man-made reservoirs or "natural" aquifers, and we pump it, manage it, use it and dispose of it. This complex system has been for a long time the realm of pure engineering, concrete and steel with which larger and larger pipes were built to cope with larger needs.   

Climate change is not only about increasing temperatures, but also, and very importantly for our urban age, a change in climate patterns in favour of more extreme episodes. The most simple one is rainfall: with climate change, come more sparse and intense rain episodes.

The effect on the natural-artificial hydrological system is that the concrete pipes and steel machines are put under more and more stress: imagine the effect of a sudden burst of heavy rain at 7 am, when millions are taking their morning shower, on the sewage pipes. Purification plants cannot cope with so much water at one given moment and will release the first rainwater, heavy in grease and pollution ito “natural” water bodies.   

One way of reducing stress on pipes, plants, and ultimately rivers, is to slow down rainwater: avoid the direct discharge into the sewer and enhance the natural drainage systems: through the ground, slowly replenishing the aquifers. More and more, steel and concrete pipes will need to be replaced by “soft” engineering systems, such as swales, reservoirs, managed marshlands, and, indeed, rain gardens!  


Project 

In our Bromley rain garden, we have adopted a three-tier approach to the theme of exterior space design.   

  1. Avoid damage: when creating new impervious areas we risk increasing the amount of water discharged in the sewage system  
  2. Enhance: we have designed a rain garden that will, on the contrary, store water from both the patio and the roof. Allowing it to slowly be absorbed by the ground and plants, and relieving the sewer system from the pressure, when most needed.  
  3. Re-use: we have re-used the gravel and stone on site, reduced the introduction of new materials to the minimum. The only exterior material that was introduced was the untreated wood sleepers, and this too is recycled material.   

How it works 

Water from the patio and the roof of the house is routed to the rain garden through underground pipes. The rain garden is dimensioned to cope with most rainfall episodes without relying on the sewage system. An overflow connected to the system will serve as last resort to avoid flooding the garden, but only in the case of extreme events, and only after a few hours, when the rain garden has reached its maximum capacity.   



You can find more info at https://raingardens.info/
Goal 1 - No Poverty Goal 2 - Zero Hunger Goal 3 - Good Health and Well-Being Goal 4 - Quality Education Goal 5 - Gender Equality Goal 6 - Clean Water and Sanitation Goal 7 - Affordable and Clean Energy Goal 8 - Decent Work and Economic Growth Goal 9 - Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure Goal 10 - Reduced Inequalities Goal 11 - Sustainable Cities and Communities Goal 12 - Responsible Consumption and Production Goal 13 - Climate Action Goal 14 - Life Below Water Goal 15 - Life on Land Goal 16 - Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions Goal 17 - Partnerships

Tags: H1, H17, Rain Garden, Parry

When you Buy Social, it creates a positive impact and changes the world for the better.