TarmacDry
Porous Asphalt
SuDS Sustainable Drainage System
What is TarmacDry ?
TarmacDry is the patented, asphalt porous paving system that gives you complete control over sustainable drainage.
How does TarmacDry Porous Asphalt work?
TarmacDry advanced membrance and underground cavity it is designed to capture surface water, before either releasing it immediately into the sub-grade, performing a controlled release into the existing drainage, called infiltration, or storing it for recycling, attenuation. See a definition of terms on the CIRIA website
TarmacDry Hydraulic Conductivity test video
- up to and over 5000mm per hour
TarmacDry Hyrdraulic Conductivity Test video (wmv, 15mb)
See how quickly 25 litres of water disappears through TarmacDry asphalt.
Why TarmacDry Porous Asphalt?
- Reduced risk of flooding
- High hydraulic conductivity of up to 5000mm per hour
- Smooth surface no haphazards or weeds are allowed to grow through the asphalt surface
- Reduced effects of pollution
- Greater water cleansing and de-contamination
- Skid resistance and less chance of black ice in wintry conditions
- Harvest and re-use water via infiltration or attenuation
- Can provide a saving up to 50% by recycling water in a domestic setting
- No need for expensive ironwork or drainage systems
- Shallow construction - less materials needed
- Quick to lay
- Longer life span up to 25 years
- Laid with mix of crushed rock, asphalt and aggregates - no steel or plastic materials
- Biodegradeable elements mean a reduction in carbon footprint
- Porous quality of asphalt meets changing legislation for sustainability in building products:- meeting Code for Sustainable Homes level 3 which is mandatory for public housing
- mandatory requirement for car parks in Scotland to be permable or be made with porous asphalt- TarmacDry can be adapted to deal with lack of space and poor soil infiltration
- Brownfield sites often have a high wildlife habitat value – SuDS provide an opportunity to maintain or even enhance biodiversity
- Benefits sale of new and existing residential and commerical properties
- In most circumstances brings down insurance premiums after installation
TarmacDry 'SuDS' system
SuDS stands for Sustainable Drainage System. Sustainable Drainage Systems such as TarmacDry, combine a series of environmentally friendly elements to manage surface water run-off as close to its origin as possible, before it enters the watercourse. Importantly, SuDS remove the need for any additional drainage systems, making them much more cost-effective.
It provides an alternative to conventional drainage systems and improves outflow water quality. TarmacDry consists of 2 or 3 permeable asphalt layers on top of a granular coarse graded sub base layer. Geotextiles can also be used depending on the job requirements. The TarmacDry system is unique to Tarmac and is patented.
TarmacDry addresses all of the key SuDS performance criteria including:
Quantity - meeting the design requirements for drainage
Quality - removing water bourne pollutants
Amenity - improving the local environment
Economics - the most cost effective solution
Applications of TarmacDry Porous Asphalt
Car parks
Footpaths
Cycle paths
Estate roads
Access roads
New housing developments
Sports stadiums
High and low traffic areas
Brownfield sites
TarmacDry Porous Asphalt Case Studies
Read a case study for the Porous asphalt system for Withywood Community Centre (pdf, 417kb) .
Other previous case studies include:
Stancombe Tarmac office Car Park - 45,000m2
B&Q, Pompey Centre - 20,000m2
Johnson & Johnson, High Wycombe - 2000m2
Fitness First, Whitefield
The Foundry, Leicester See the TarmacDry Foundry video (wmv, 15mb)
TarmacDry attentuation tanked systems and infiltration systems
TarmacDry is a SuDS solution that can be installed in a number of situations. It can be used for attenuation purposes, in what are known as 'tanked' systems where water is stored within the subbase for re-use or controlled discharge. The second and preferred method of treatment is the infiltration method where water is allowed to percolate through the TarmacDry layers - where it is cleaned and contaminants removed - to the ground below where it can drain away naturally. This method is dependant upon the ground conditions being suitable. TarmacDry can also be installed as a combination of the above methods, with conventional materials also available as required by the application.
TarmacDry Fully Integrated Package
We offer a system or fully integrated package for TarmacDry including design, service, hydraulic design, value engineering, early contract involvement, build, maintenance, warranty and after care service depending on your requirements. See our contact details below.
Expert Opinion: SUD's solution for storm-water and drainage control
TarmacDry porous paving is an innovative pavement technology that actually holds, purifies and recycles water from torrential downpours, helping to plug the extreme effects of UK global warming: flash flooding and droughts.
First of all, this surface material can absorb water up to 30% of its own volume. In the past conventional drainage systems have been overwhelmed by floods. Tarmac's porous paving helps take the pressure off these systems by complementing the way in which they work. It then removes impurities like oil and sand before the water either commences its natural journey into existing ground or is diverted for household use and the watering of landscapes, helping to reduce our dependence on quality drinking water for everyday use.
Howard Robinson, Head of Product Development comments below:
See Howard Robinson's Powerpoint presentation on:
Asphalt Reservoir Pavements for Surface Water Management (pdf, 1.1mb)This was orginally presentated at the SuDSnet National Conference 2007, November 14th 2007, Coventry University TechnoCentre.
Hear Howard Robinson talking about the SuDS system on
an extract of BBC Radio 4, September 5th 2007, Programme on Drainage Pavements (mp3, 1486kb)
The Expert Blog
Discuss TarmacDry and SuDS with our Tarmac expert, Howard Robinson on New Civil Engineer's website. Registration is required.
Are you interested in a porous coloured asphalt?
See details of our coloured asphalt Mastertint, which can also be provided as a porous asphalt
Contact Us
Contact our Sales team now for more information on our porous asphalt system or to request a quote.
Scotland and Northern England
David Parkinson
Mobile: 07702 635371
Email: david.parkinson@tarmac.co.uk
North West England and East Midlands
Kiren Sidhu
Mobile: 07590780678
Email: kiren.sidhu@tarmac.co.uk
South West England, West Midlands and Wales
Ian Farrar
Mobile: 07702 632202
Email: ian.farrar@tarmac.co.uk
South East England and Anglia
Alan Sleigh
Mobile: 07894 490690
Email: alan.sleigh@tarmac.co.uk
See all Asphalt Products and Services
Back to Asphalt Home
