Permcon: One Surface, Three Functions
The rain that would run for the grate goes straight through Permcon, our own 25+ MPa permeable concrete, and comes out cleaner. The same slab is your pavement and your stormwater treatment.
What Permcon is
More than 100,000 m² of Permcon has gone down since we invented it, all poured by our own crews as continuous slab with no joints.
The hardened slab is 20 to 25 per cent voids. Rain goes down through them at 8,000 to 10,000 mm/hr into clean screenings, and the screenings hold it while it soaks away into the ground.
Our customer presentation calls it one surface, three functions, and the pavement is the obvious one. Quantity is the base's job. It holds a storm back and lets the peak flow out slowly, not all at once into the kerb and gutter. Quality happens on the way down: up to 70 per cent of the suspended solids, detritus, heavy metals and hydrocarbons stay behind in the pavement.
A pavement first, a drain second
The mix doesn't change from job to job. The thickness does. A standard 125 mm slab covers almost every driveway and path, and our loading chart (and how we derived it) puts it at an estimated 5.8 t axle. Car parks and heavier vehicles get more depth: at 150 mm the estimate is an 8.3 t axle, and we keep going thicker for bigger loads.
MUSIC certified
Permcon is MUSIC certified, so an engineer can put it straight into a MUSIC model. Ask and we'll send the parameters.
Colour options
Ask us to bring samples to the site visit, so you can judge them against the house and the paving next door.
Driveways, car parks, paths and courts
Inside a tree protection zone, air and water still get through the slab to the roots, so paths and bus stops can go in under a tree's canopy. Our largest recurring job is shared driveways for Victorian Government housing. It also goes into car parks, council footpaths and shared paths. On a sports court, artificial turf can go down over the slab. Ultracon gives a finer, smoother face for a driveway or pool surround, and the permeable concrete guide covers the wider picture.
Permcon at a glance
In the ground
- Strength: 25+ MPa on every job
- Thickness: 125 mm standard, thicker for heavier axles
- Stone: 7 mm in Victoria, 10 mm interstate
- Slip: P4 slip rating
- Drainage: 8,000 to 10,000 mm/hr through 20 to 25 per cent voids
- Water quality: removes up to 70 per cent of heavy metals and hydrocarbons, detritus and suspended solids
On paper
- Modelling: MUSIC certified
- Warranty: 10-year structural (terms apply)
- Design life: in excess of 30 years
- Certification: ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 45001
- Made in: Australia
Permcon questions
If the slab fails, what does the warranty do?+
It covers structural failure for 10 years. We assess the area, then remove the affected section and pour it again. Terms and conditions apply, and they come in full with your quote.
Will it drain on heavy clay?+
Yes. On slow clay, an under-drain lets the base empty at a controlled rate. We size the base after seeing the soil; a footpath profile stores 28 litres a square metre at 85 per cent design capacity.
What about grip in the wet?+
Rain goes through the surface at 8,000 to 10,000 mm/hr, not across it. It also carries the P4 slip rating listed above. It goes on sports courts and shared paths as readily as on driveways.
How do you keep Permcon draining for years?+
Once a year, sweep it and pull any moss out of the voids. Monthly, check after rain that the water has gone and the leaves are off it. Keep garden beds from washing soil on. A wash brings back a slowed surface.
Let us see your site first
We walk the job before pricing it. We check the soil and the trucks that'll use it. Then you get our thickness and base.