2006 RIBA Stirling Prize Winner Features Fullflow Syphonic Drainage System
Syphonic drainage specialist Fullflow is proud to have installed its syphonic system to Terminal 4 at Madrid’s Barajas Airport, recently voted winner of the 2006 RIBA Stirling Prize. The prestigious award is bestowed to architects for the building that has made the greatest contribution to British architecture in the past year.
Fullflow’s syphonic system was integrated within the overall design of the building, created by Richard Rogers Architects and Spanish architects Estudio Lamela. The flexible drainage system removes rainwater from the roof without compromising the aesthetic appeal of the building as pipework is routed horizontally as well as vertically and does not have to be pitched on a gradient due to the syphonic action.
Fullflow’s syphonic system required only 72 downpipes to drain rainwater from the spectacular ‘egg box’ shaped roof area which totals 160,000m2. Rainwater is drained from the undulating roof quickly and efficiently by the syphonic system which is designed to cope with deluges of up to six inches (150mm) of rain per hour. Unlike traditional roof drainage, which is designed to flow part full, the 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. Until the downpour of rainwater is sufficient to fill above the anti-vortex plate within the outlet, the syphonic system will act in a similar way to a gravity system. The priming of a Fullflow syphonic system takes place in four typical stages: Gravity Flow, Plug Flow, Bubble Flow and Full Bore, which are determined by the intensity and duration of a downpour.
Fullflow were the only UK based subcontractor to be involved with the project. The terminal’s satellite building also features a syphonic drainage system designed, manufactured and installed by Fullflow. Terminal 4 at Barajas is just one example of many high profile construction projects Fullflow have been involved with. Project successes include Chek Lap Kok Airport (Hong Kong), The Great Court, British Museum (England), HM Treasury Refurbishment, (England) The GLA Building (England) and the Millennium Stadium (Wales).
Fullflow boasts an unparalleled level of experience in the field of syphonic drainage having successfully installed over 30,000 systems across the world. Recent contract awards include Athlone town centre, Ireland; a €150 million mixed development, The Qube, 90 Whitfield Street, London and Huntingdon Combined Justice Building, Cambridgeshire.
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