Project description
How a concrete block is helping to solve urban flooding
Heavy rains coupled with extensive urban settlements increase the risk of urban flooding. Addressing this issue, the EU-funded Bufferblock project is offering a solution in the form of novel concrete blocks. These blocks are placed in the ground to form a network of channels that enable stormwater to be stored, redirected or dispersed into the ground as needed. To investigate market opportunities for this product, the project will conduct a feasibility study where they will research several producers in Belgium, Germany, Ireland and the United Kingdom.
Objective
The number of street floods due to heavy rainfall is increasing rapidly. The inevitable climate change results in heavier rainfall for longer periods. Extensive urban settlements and an increasing road volume reduce the natural drainage of the excessive rainfall. Hence the flooded streets, the overflowing sewage water and the resulting traffic jams. Existing artificial drainage or even the use of retention basins is not sufficient. Bufferblock provides a solution.
Bufferblock is a concrete block with drainage and water buffering properties underneath roads, squares or parking areas. It forms a solution for stormwater drainage and buffering in the urban area. The function is similar to that of plastic infiltration crates, but because of the high strength of Bufferblock they can be placed almost directly underneath the road surface where crates need an extra top layer of 75cm. This results in a smaller installation depth, higher buffer capacities and a more cost-effective solution. The relative light construction of Bufferblocks has an average density of around 800 kg/m3. This density is comparable to pumice (lava stone), but has a much higher storage capacity with the same volume. Bufferblock therefore has a lot of potential to become the most important solution against road overflows. The Bufferblock is a patented invention (WO2018143808).
With this SME application, Bufferblock wants to investigate the market opportunities in Europe, particularly Germany, Belgium, England and Italy. These countries have problems with stormwater and need a solid solution for flooding in the dense urban areas. They also have a good industry for local block production and they invest in a good civil infrastructure. The company thinks these countries are the best step to other countries in Europe. The most important research-question lies in an assessment of the rules and regulations of a road/ground construction and the drainage into the soil in these countries.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: https://op.europa.eu/en/web/eu-vocabularies/euroscivoc.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: https://op.europa.eu/en/web/eu-vocabularies/euroscivoc.
You need to log in or register to use this function
We are sorry... an unexpected error occurred during execution.
You need to be authenticated. Your session might have expired.
Thank you for your feedback. You will soon receive an email to confirm the submission. If you have selected to be notified about the reporting status, you will also be contacted when the reporting status will change.
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
-
H2020-EU.2.3. - INDUSTRIAL LEADERSHIP - Innovation In SMEs
MAIN PROGRAMME
See all projects funded under this programme -
H2020-EU.3. - PRIORITY 'Societal challenges
See all projects funded under this programme -
H2020-EU.2.1. - INDUSTRIAL LEADERSHIP - Leadership in enabling and industrial technologies
See all projects funded under this programme
Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
SME-1 - SME instrument phase 1
See all projects funded under this funding scheme
Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) H2020-EIC-SMEInst-2018-2020
See all projects funded under this callCoordinator
Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
3011 AA ROTTERDAM
Netherlands
The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.