Natural pavements and hydraulic invariance: a guide to find out more

La climate crisis it also imposes a change of direction in the building, construction and infrastructure sectors in general. It should therefore not be surprising that laws and regulations are moving forward by placing useful "boundaries" to protect anthropized areas and natural territory from possible disasters associated with extreme weather events. On the other hand the concepts of mitigation and adaptation are now part of our lexicon and are a clear sign that things are changing: the environmental Protection becomes one priority which we all need to take into account. In construction matters and in relation to new constructions, renovations and construction of road infrastructures, for example, a fundamental requirement today is that ofhydraulic invariance, a principle that has become regulations in various places on the Italian peninsula. This is why anyone who is preparing to modify the territory with a road, a pavement or a construction must take it into account for two obvious reasons: to be in compliance with current legislation and, above all, to have as little impact as possible on the environment. This article therefore aims to be a guide for professionals and non-experts, as well as a means to understand better what is hydraulic invariance and what are the characteristics that a flooring must have to satisfy this important requirement.

What is hydraulic invariance: definition and meaning of the term

THEhydraulic invariance, in a nutshell, is a principle that concerns the natural and correct flow of rainwater and water bodies in general. Let's start by giving a definition general concept, which we will then make clearer with some practical examples. Hydraulic invariance defines the principle that aims to maintain unchanged the flow rate and volumes of rainwater discharged into the receiving bodies following renovation, construction or urbanization/anthropization works in a new territory. The purpose is to preserve the hydraulic balance of the territory, so as to avoid both the concentration of rainwater and possible floods and landslides.

What happens when it rains?

Understand how rainwater and meteoric water flows on “virgin” land and in an urban area is an excellent way to understand how important the principle ofhydraulic invariance. In nature, usually, rainwater is partly absorbed by the ground, partly is accumulated in natural surface reservoirs, partly evaporates naturally in the environment and, if there is excess water, this stream flows towards nearby watercourses or towards drainage networks.

In a anthropomorphized environment, on the contrary, it is possible that part of the surface and the walkable ground is waterproof. When it rains, therefore, the percentage of water that is absorbed by the ground is significantly reduced and, conversely, the volume of water that flows towards the drainage networks greatly increases. In case of heavy rain, the flow ratewater that is not absorbed it increases a lot and, above all, it tends to increase in a short time: the drainage networks and receptor bodies may not be able to welcome it correctly so that it flows out normally. The most visible consequence of the phenomenon is the flooding or city flooding (and not only) to which, unfortunately, news events have now accustomed us. The principle of hydraulic invariance wants to be one solution to a now very urgent problem, especially in densely populated urban areas.

Natural pavements and hydraulic invariance

Among the possible interventions that builders and municipalities can put into practice are:r keep hydraulic invariance intact there is also that of realizing permeable and draining pavements that is, capable of receiving water, allowing it to flow correctly into the ground. L'infiltrationIn fact, it is a decidedly simple and economical solution for correctly disposing of rainwater, especially in urban contexts.

But how do you create a draining and at the same time high-performance flooring? Realize natural floors it can be aexcellent solution, also in terms of performance. In fact, a flooring of this type, in addition to ensuring high mechanical performance, is intrinsically permeable.

Let's delve deeper: in addition to having greater thermal stability compared to traditional conglomerates used for normal road surfaces, a natural flooring it is in fact capable of drain the water, which will naturally be returned to the underlying land. Another typical feature of this type of flooring, then, is the care taken in choosing the construction materials, which will have to be environmentally friendly. And this is a fundamental point, because it has a significant impact on water quality stored in the aquifers. In a period of water crisis like what we are experiencing, returning unpolluted water to the ground is a priority. Natural pavements are able to do this: in addition to hydraulic invariance, therefore, these works have less impact on the environment also from the point of view of pollutants released into the ground.

Help against the water crisis

Natural pavements, in addition to fully meeting the requirement of hydraulic invariance, are also a way to combat the aforementioned water crisis. In fact, waterproof floors, by effectively preventing water from being absorbed by the ground, have the direct consequence of depleting the aquifers, and the problem is forcefully starting to make its way in Italy too, both during the winter and summer seasons.

Hydraulic invariance: possible interventions beyond natural pavements

Le natural floors they are a smart and eco-friendly way to make money man-made soil is permeable, thus meeting the requirement of hydraulic invariance and fighting, at the same time, the water crisis. To make this guide as complete as possible, however, we thought we would also list all the other possible interventions that can be implemented to keep the hydraulic invariance of the territory intact:

• Recovery of rainwater through the creation of rainwater storage works
• Creation of water infiltration areas
• Creation of reservoirs (both natural and artificial) that can limit the flow rate of water reaching the receptor covers
• Creation of green roofs on buildings

La construction of natural flooring remains in any case one of the simplest, fastest and cheapest ways to create an urban territory capable of communicating with nature and atmospheric events. The planning of the future, also with regards to road infrastructures, will have to be increasingly more green so as to give life to a world in which the boundaries of what is natural and what is artificial are increasingly blurred.