Permeable concrete in Western Australia

Sand, groundwater and urban water management

Western Australia plans its water differently to the eastern states, and it shows. Subdivision and development work leans on the state's better urban water management framework and the Stormwater Management Manual for Western Australia, with local governments asking for urban water management plans and for small rainfall events to be retained on site rather than piped away. Permeable concrete answers that requirement directly. Rain lands, passes through the slab and goes into the ground where it fell.

The Swan Coastal Plain also gives us the best infiltration conditions in the country. Perth sand takes water readily, so a permeable pavement here often performs closer to the top of its range than it would on eastern clay. The constraint is usually the opposite problem. Shallow groundwater across large parts of the metro area means the separation between the base of the pavement and the wet season watertable governs how deep we build, and that has to be established from the site's own data, not assumed.

Heat, trees and hard surfaces

Perth summers are long and hot. An open-textured pavement holds moisture in its voids and reads cooler underfoot than dense dark paving, which matters on car parks, footpaths and pool surrounds. It's also one of the few surfaces that can go over a root zone without sealing it off, so it turns up wherever a council or a landscape architect is trying to keep a mature tree alive through a redevelopment.

WA work is run through our national team, with crews and materials scheduled in for the job. Perth metro is the bulk of what we do. Regional WA we plan carefully and batch where possible, and we'll be honest at quote stage about what the distance means for timing.

• Car parks retaining small storm events on site.
• Footpaths and public realm paving around street trees.
• Driveways on sandy suburban blocks.

Send through your urban water management requirements and site details, and we'll work out the pavement and base from there. Get in touch.