DB Symmetry Distribution Centre, Doncaster – Case Study

Brett Landscaping offers a SuDs Solution for all situations

Project: DB Symmetry Distribution Centre, Doncaster
Client: Kilmartin Plowman & Partners (KPP) Architects
Product: Omega Flow, Yorktone and Trief GST2A
Size: N/A

Design and construction support from the team at Brett Landscaping has been crucial in the success of the paving installation at the DB Symmetry distribution centre, in Doncaster.

Bassetlaw District Council required the site to be fully SuDS compliant as a part of their flood prevention strategy.  After careful consideration and analysis, Northampton-based logistics and warehousing company DB Symmetry requested that the hard-landscaping for the distribution centre car park must be a permeable solution, so a sustainable drainage system (SuDS) was designed.

Permeable paving was chosen as a key part of the overall surface water drainage strategy as this achieved all of the requirements of the planning team, while maximising the use of the land available for the project for the client.

Architects from Kilmartin Plowman & Partners (KPP) worked with Brett Landscaping to produce a SuDS solution that allowed for rainwater to drain through the pavement construction, utilising the inherent pollution-retention characteristics of the permeable paving and allowing the water to soak into the ground, allowing at source drainage to be achieved.

James McDermott from KPP said: “One side of the building, where HGVs would be loading and unloading, was a concrete yard. The other elevation was the car park – which was paved with Brett Landscaping’s Omega Flow block paving. To make sure the permeable paving solution had enough structural integrity to take the weight of emergency fire tenders a permeable road base needed to be incorporated into this design.”

Brett Landscaping’s technical support was key to achieving this.

Recommendations included installing a hydraulically-bound base layer below the permeable paving to allow water to flow through the paving while having sufficient water storage capacity. This ensured that the pavement could drain naturally without weakening the ground below.

Using a hydraulically-bound road base meant the groundworks sub-contractor was able to achieve this construction without calling in a specialist contractor to install a bituminous base. This aided cost and programme certainty for the project.

As well as the Omega Flow product, designers requested an aesthetically pleasing finish and specified Brett Landscaping’s Yorktone for the front of the building and a range of colour options for the Omega Flow. This allowed for the creation of markings to indicate where to park as an alternative to painted lines.

In addition to Brett Landscaping’s Omega Flow being used, Brett’s Trief kerbs were installed at different locations throughout the site.  The entrance to the distribution centre and surrounding the gatehouse benefit from the protection being offered by Trief plus another section of the site to protect the building’s sprinkler tank and the pump house for the internal sprinkler system.

Trief works to contain and redirect straying vehicles back onto the road surface in their intended direction of travel. This makes it the optimal solution for protecting valuable assets in high traffic areas, contributing to creating a safe working environment and reducing maintenance costs.

James McDermott commented: “At KPP we have a very good relationship with the team at Brett Landscaping and have used their products and knowledge on a number of projects.”

To find out more about Brett Landscaping’s commercial range and the design services available view www.brettlandscaping.co.uk/professional/resources