Posted by Callum Vallance-Poole, on September 19, 2024.
Situated opposite the renowned Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone Park was designed to attract engineering and high-tech companies. The development includes four industrial buildings, each housing multiple office and warehouse units. Readie Construction, the contractors for this project, needed an efficient stormwater attenuation system that could provide long-term flood protection and meet the council’s stringent runoff requirement of just nine litres per second.
Having successfully collaborated on previous projects, Readie Construction once again approached GRAF UK for a reliable solution. GRAF UK specified, designed, and installed a bespoke 945m³ EcoBloc Inspect Flex stormwater attenuation system, consisting of five tanks made from approximately 4,458 heavy-duty crates. This system was built to handle extreme storm events anticipated once in a 100-year period, with an additional 20% buffer for climate change, in accordance with DEFRA and Environment Agency guidelines.
The EcoBloc Inspect Flex crates, with a lorry-bearing capacity of 60 tonnes and an 800mm earth covering, were ideal for Silverstone Park due to the high volume of lorry traffic expected. The design allowed for a shallow installation depth of just 1.78 metres with a 1,100mm earth covering. This minimised excavation work while ensuring the system could withstand heavy traffic. The shallow depth also provided extra storage capacity, as water could back up into the pipework if needed.
The installation of the EcoBloc Inspect Flex system at Silverstone Park was successful, providing a durable and efficient solution to manage stormwater runoff. The system’s design ensured compliance with local runoff requirements and offered robust protection against extreme weather events.
Matthew Mayfield, Site Manager at Readie Construction, expressed his satisfaction: “It was handy to work with a local company based just 10 miles down the road from Silverstone. GRAF UK was able to get on site quickly, which meant we could stagger the install. We were responsible for all the preliminary excavation work to prepare the ground for the tanks, and the GRAF UK team came in to install the water management system. They were absolutely first-class, and as a site manager, I couldn’t have asked for more!”
The collaboration between Readie Construction and GRAF UK resulted in the successful implementation of a state-of-the-art stormwater management system at Silverstone Park. The EcoBloc Inspect Flex system not only met the stringent requirements but also ensured long-term durability and efficiency, making it an ideal solution for the high-traffic industrial site.