Creating climate-resilient cities with big Wavin XL pipes
Urban flooding caused by heavy rainfall can quickly escalate into an urban crisis. As a global community, we have witnessed and experienced firsthand the opposite challenges that climate change has wrought – on one extreme: rainstorms that are more frequent and intense, severe flooding; and on the other end of the spectrum: severe droughts impacting water supply and causing wildfires, record-breaking hot temperatures. Given these challenges, climate-resilience has become a number one priority for most countries and cities around the world and many are investing in the best and brightest, future-proof solutions to mitigate these challenges. As innovators and experts in the design, manufacture and provision of stormwater management solutions, Wavin has one, clear purpose: to build healthy, sustainable environments. Recently, there were two projects in Sweden – Tivoli Works wastewater plant in Sundsvall and the Dragon neighborhood in the city of Malmö – where our versatile Wavin XL pipes were used to provide two very different stormwater solutions. Both, however, had one common goal: sustainable resilience.
Project 1 Tivoliverken - Wavin XL pipes at the bottom of the sea
Project: The Tivoliverken
Location: Sundsvall, Sweden
Built area: 550-meter-long sea line
The 550-meter-long sea line has been built in stages of 50 meters, at Södra Kajen in Sundsvall. Tivoliverken is Sundsvall’s largest wastewater treatment plant and the new XL pipe transports the purified water back into the sea.
Architecture Firm: MittSverige Water and Waste led the project. NCC is responsible for the implementation of the project.
How the system was installed
Concrete weights were mounted on each pipe and when the sections were completed, they were pushed into the water with the help of a rail, specially designed for this purpose. The lead flows first. When transported by boat to the correct position, it will be water-filled and lowered to the bottom of the sea to connect to the outlet.
It can withstand the load
Wavin produced and delivered materials for the solution – and was also involved with and contributed to the design proposals and solutions. The XL pipes have a dimension of 1200 millimeters and have been specifically designed to withstand high stress. The pipes were welded together onsite in Sundsvall. Lars Englund (Site Manager at NCC) was responsible for the project execution. He explains that the dimensions are unique in this project:
The project has been preceded by a lot of studies and several calculations before construction started. We chose Wavin’s products that we thought would be best suited for this project. For us, it was important that we had the same supplier. Rarely are these dimensions of pipes lowered to the bottom. But, given that the Tivoli plants pump water in the lines 22 of the 24 hours of the day, large dimensions are required. For us, it was important that we got the same supplier for all stages of the new outlet line.Lars Englund , Site Manager at NCC
Project 2: Wavin XL helps Malmö to divert stormwater
The Challenge: Manage and divert water at greater rainfall intensities
The Dragon neighborhood is new to the Husie district of Malmö. In addition to housing, there are also plans to build preschools and shops which will only be completed in a few years. With the expansion of the area, the city of Malmö wanted to order a system that would efficiently manage and divert water at greater rainfall intensities. One of the requirements was that the system should be weldable. The choice, therefore, fell on Wavin’s smart XL plastic pipes.
Project: Draken neighborhood
Location: Malmö, Sweden
Brief: Malmö is growing exponentially. As a result, demand for housing is increasing, which means that the municipality must plan new development areas. The neighborhood Draken in Husie is one such area, in the process of expanding the existing pipeline network and future-proofing the new neighborhood against flooding.
Contractors: VA Syd and NCC.
What distinguishes the XL pipes is that they have an integrated welding sleeve, which makes it easy for the contractor to weld at their own pace and to plan the welding themselves instead of ordering an external service.Leif Ohlsson , Regional Sales Manager C&I
For the municipality, it was important to have stormwater reservoirs that could store large volumes of water. The advantage of Wavin XL is that the pipes come in large dimensions and can also be tailored to the needs of the customer. The neighborhood Draken ordered tubes the size of 1400 mm in diameter, which would be laid on a surface of 400 x 300 m. NCC was responsible for the pipeline and the work was completed in November 2017.
Great deal – great opportunities
In addition to the pipes’ low weight, Wavin XL pipes are designed so that it is easy to get down and clear the film tubes. This makes it seamless to have a good overview and to ensure that there is no unexpected growth in the pipes. Their flexibility is also a big plus.
The pipe installation is complete. And now the big Wavin XL pipes must do their job: namely, divert stormwater and future-proof the new area against flooding. After all, this is what they are designed to do…. for years to come.
Sustainable resilience
The real truth about sustainable resilience is the ability of communities to confront changing (in this case, climate) conditions, absorb disturbances with flexibility and utilize existing resources and innovative partnerships to achieve future-proof, healthy environments. Sustainable resilience engages all stakeholders of the community – government, business, industry, food systems, jobs, natural environment, water resources, energy, housing, healthcare, education, transportation, infrastructure and so much more.
And Wavin is on the forefront of this transformation.
