Landscape restriction, how to overcome it by using draining surfaces

The Italian territory has many areas subject to restrictions, even in the peripheral areas of cities.

But what is the landscape restriction?

Il landscape constraint it is an instrument of Italian legislation that has a significant impact on the design of construction and flooring works. The regulatory reference is Legislative Decree 42 2004, which regulates the protection of properties and areas of great landscape value.

The objective of the legislator is to limit the construction of invasive and non-harmonious works with the present environment in the areas where interventions are planned.

When it comes to the construction of road pavements and pedestrian paths, it is therefore necessary to verify the existence of this constraint before proceeding. The issue is quite common for technicians who deal with construction and infrastructure, who often encounter bureaucratic delays.

Over time this has led on the one hand to the approval of simplification procedures such as the Sblocca Italia Decree, and on the other to the design and greater use of compatible materials for the various constraints.

How to overcome the landscape restriction based on Legislative Decree 42 2004 and subsequent amendments?

If your client needs to pave the dirt road leading to his home or business, and the area falls within the landscape constraint, it is necessary to strive for request authorization for landscape restrictions and adopt suitable materials to carry out the work.

The use of draining surfaces is an ideal example of how to overcome the landscape constraint adopting compliant conglomerates that can make the practice suitable for approval.

The same criterion can be adopted for interventions in restricted public areas, which can be approved and implemented thanks to the adoption of high quality draining surfaces and in compliance with the law.

Draining surfaces, which aggregates are suitable

They can be done conglomerates for landscape constraint-proof draining surfaces with different permeability and mechanical resistance performances. This dynamism is permitted provided that certain granulometric characteristics of the aggregate used are respected. However, this does not imply the need to resort to multiple types of aggregates, since with two different grain sizes belonging to the same type of parent rock, it is possible to create draining conglomerates with various types of permeability and resistance characteristics.

Without prejudice to this concept, there are no preclusions whatsoever on the use of aggregates of various lithological nature, from the sedimentary to the metamorphic to the volcanic one. The aggregates used to create conglomerates for drainage surfaces can therefore come from the crushing of a wide range of rock types.

Consequently, the materials are easily available in all areas of the Italian territory, with a clear advantage for any procurement costs. This allows you to overcome the presence of any landscape constraint reducing costs and exploiting the aggregates present on site.

Draining surfaces for landscape constraints, how are they made?

As for the composition, the draining surfaces employed in areas a landscape constraint they are based on a composite. The latter is mainly made up of:

• A coarse aggregate. It can be gravel or crushed stone with a maximum diameter between 8 mm and 16 mm (generally max 12 mm) which forms the base

• A possible second finer aggregate dosed in a much smaller percentage (sand with a maximum dimension of 2mm or 4mm)

• A hydraulic binder

• A smaller quantity of water than traditional cement conglomerates

• One or more specific additives

This forms the so-called draining conglomerate, or draining concrete.

This conglomerate is characterized by a high volume of voids communicating with each other which create a porous structure that water and fluids can easily pass through. Its permeability is measured in liters per square meter per minute (l/mXNUMX/min).

Without prejudice to their ability to be permeable, draining surfaces must also comply with other performance standards. In fact, to be suitable for the construction of slopes, accesses to private homes, walkways, squares and car parks, the material that composes them must also possess certain mechanical characteristics.

It is more than intuitive, in fact, that the more permeable a material is, the lower its mechanical performance.

The design of a drain is therefore based on finding the right compromise between these two characteristics. The aggregate that you intend to use plays a very important role, as its specificities influence the quality of both required performances (permeability, mechanical resistance).

By delivering your aggregate to the Terra Solida laboratory (Fiume Veneto), you have the opportunity to analyze the conglomerate proposed for the creation of a draining surface.

The laboratory takes care of sampling the aggregates in order to recognize their lithological nature, also analyzing their granulometric, geometric and morphological characteristics.

From this study follows the possible theoretical design of a drainage conglomerate to be created with the proposed aggregate and its subsequent and necessary experimental verification for correct characterization (qualification of the mixture).

Landscape constraint, Terra Solida products to overcome it

To meet the needs of technicians dealing with works in areas subjected to landscape constraint, Terra Solida has created a specific product line.

Terra Solida's City line is designed to produce paving conglomerates with draining surfaces in: archaeological sites, protected areas subject to historical restrictions, and all areas subject to landscape and environmental restrictions (SCI, ZPS, SAC areas).

The products of the line City Open Paving they allow the creation of flooring with draining surfaces that can be inserted into any landscape context.

Furthermore, the material made with these specific products can be widely used in areas where alteration of the hydrogeological balance is prohibited.

If you instead need a personalized service, you can rely on ours laboratory, which deals with all the needs regarding the creation of flooring with draining surfaces suitable to overcome the landscape constraint.

This service is designed to accompany the technicians by the hand during the realization of the work. The laboratory staff is highly competent and will be able to guide you from the choice of the most suitable aggregates for your project up to the creation of the flooring. Terra Solida offers consultancy and assistance to designers, companies and pre-packagers, also dealing with research, development and control of the production of materials. The goal is to help clients and make every type of project feasible, using the best technologies.

Thanks to the Terra Solida laboratory you can design and build with the aggregates present in situ the ideal draining conglomerate for yours paving project in the area subjected to landscape constraint.

If you want to know more, contact us to ask for more details and information. You can also request a quote directly, we will be happy to take care of your needs.