Sustainability and SUDS

Colegio Summa Aldapeta-San Sebastián

PVT is committed to sustainability. Our R&D team is constantly working on creating new products, always in line with sustainability.

We have our own laboratory in which the most significant production parameters are tested daily.

In addition, independent and accredited laboratories such as those of Applus+ or Eptisa Engineering Services, as well as prestigious European universities such as the University of Cantabria, the University of Navarra or the University of Twente (UT), periodically certify that our products achieve maximum performance.

We believe that quality is not a matter of minimums but of maximums and this is demonstrated by our star products that enrich our urban landscape in a sustainable way: ecoGranic and ecoDraining.

decontaminating technologies

ecoGranic®

ecoGranic® is the technology developed and patented by PVT, which, implemented in a high-strength precast concrete, actively contributes to the removal of pollutants from the atmosphere such as nitrogen oxides (NOx), volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and particulate matter. (P.M).

In the manufacture of this product, duly recovered urban solid waste and recycled materials from our own production process are used.

ecoGranic products combat pollution through a process similar to plant photosynthesis. They convert harmful gases in the atmosphere into compounds that are harmless to health and the environment through a natural oxidation process free of chemical agents and with an inexhaustible effect over time.

ecoDraining®

ecoDraining® is a modular concrete flooring with a very high drainage capacity that also incorporates ecoGranic® decontaminating technology.

It is made of high-resistance concrete with silicon, granite or basaltic aggregates, and is made up of two layers. An upper layer that gives it exceptional aesthetic properties and prevents clogging of the slab, and a lower layer that gives it good mechanical properties.

The placement of ecoDraining to create permeable pavements is one of the most effective techniques of Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SUDS) due to its lamination and purification capacity of urban runoff. These systems seek to close the natural water cycle and mitigate the urban heat island effect caused by the continuous waterproofing of the soil in cities.

Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SUDS)

The new problems in the sustainable development of cities

The traditional growth and development of cities entails covering the ground with impermeable materials such as asphalt and concrete, significantly modifying the natural water cycle.

The lack of natural infiltration of rainwater into the ground produces important disturbances in the ecosystems, as well as the reduction of aquifers.

Climate change implies an increase in the propensity, intensity and frequency of extreme meteorological phenomena, such as torrential rains, which cause flooding and damage to river ecosystems and more accelerated erosion of the land.

heat island

The lack of moisture in the urban soil surface limits the natural cooling produced by the evaporation of water, something that is only associated with parks and green areas.

In addition, the materials with which the city is normally paved accumulate heat during the day, becoming emitting sources at night, a phenomenon known as a “heat island”, increasing the air temperature and forcing greater energy consumption in cooling.

SUDS (Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems)

Sustainable drainage is the ideal alternative in adapting cities to climate change, not only for mitigating the effect of flooding, but also for adequately managing the quantity and quality of urban runoff water.

Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SUDS) favor the infiltration of water near the source and prevent the formation of runoff, constituting a set of advanced technical solutions for the correct management of rainwater. In addition to mitigating floods and preventing water pollution, they improve the urban landscape, optimizing its value and minimizing the economic costs of stormwater management.