Designing walkable cities
Improving the walkability of our cities makes us fitter, happier and more connected citizens.
Planning and designing user friendly and inclusive spaces requires many considerations across design disciplines and integration of many construction components.
ARUP have written a comprehensive report examining walkable cities that highlights the social, economic, environmental and political benefits of designing walkable cities. It’s free to download here.
Designing flat and level pavements is critical in preventing hazards to users and effective stormwater management is key for a durable and long-lasting pavement.
For drainage, we see that grates being both heel friendly and slip resistant are vital components of the selection criteria to keep users safe.
With the widest range of grates available in the industry, designers are able to opt for both function and form with ACO’s Heelsafe Anti-Slip grates. Check out our range of:
Don’t forget the hydraulics!
Due to the complex nature of fluids in relation to grate inlet hydraulics, testing is the only way to accurately predict how a grate will intercept surface water run-off.
We commissioned the UNSW Water Research Laboratory to research and test grate hydraulics to investigate the water intake performance of our grates.
The tests were carried out under varying flow rates and catchment approach slopes until bypass occurred, which is the point where liquids pass across the grate. The results help us to accurately recommend grates for specific projects based on their catchment hydraulics.
If you’re interested in trying it out for yourself, you can access our free grate hydraulic software here, or contact us and our Technical Services team will assist with project-specific calculations.
