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‘Green’ Warehouse Features Fullflow Syphonic Drainage System
Syphonic drainage specialist Fullflow has designed, manufactured and installed a syphonic drainage system for what is possibly Britain’s ‘greenest’ warehouse. The new distribution centre owned by Adnams Brewery and designed by Aukett Fitzroy Robinson is the first commercial building in the UK constructed from environmentally friendly and highly sustainable lime hemp blocks and includes a ‘living’ green carpet on the roof, solar panels which provide 80% of hot water and the longest spanning glulam (laminated timber) beams in the UK.
The warehouse’s 4,000 square-metre roof features a syphonic drainage system which enables rainwater to be harvested. The roof is designed to absorb rainwater and release it gradually so that it can be used for washing fleet vehicles and flushing staff toilets. Fullflow’s syphonic drainage system provides design flexibility as pipework is routed horizontally due to the syphonic action, whereas pipework for a traditional system relies on a gradient to drain rainwater. Because there is no need for gradient with a syphonic system, pipework can be routed around obstacles and discharge location is not restricted, making the system ideal for rainwater harvesting.
Fullflow’s system requires fewer downpipes than a traditional gravity system. This is due to the syphonic action which enables rainwater to be drained at high velocity and volume. Because of this benefit the warehouse’s loading bay positions were not impeded by numerous unsightly downpipes. Additionally, far less underground work was required due to the reduction in downpipe quantity.
Unlike traditional roof drainage, which is designed to flow part full, the Fullflow syphonic system operates at full capacity, when water is sucked or syphoned from the roof down into the drain at high velocity. Whereas a conventional outlet is simply a hole set into the lowest point on the roof, into which the water pours, the syphonic drain incorporates an anti-vortex plate that acts as a baffle, allowing only water to be drawn of the roof. During heavy rainfall the outlet drain fills to above the anti-vortex plate, cutting off air flow into the pipe. This lack of air, coupled with the downward pull of the water creates a vacuum. The drainage pipes then flow at 100% full over the entire system.
Adnams warehouse, set within 88 acres of grassland on the site of a disused gravel pit in Southwold, Suffolk, has been built with the aim of meeting a BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment method) Excellence rating. This is an established construction industry standard that ranks domestic and commercial buildings according to their environmental credentials. Adnams Brewery officially opened the environmentally friendly distribution warehouse in October 2006
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