The need to provide cities with solutions to reduce risks is imperative. How? 'Or' What ? By promoting islands of urban freshness and providing buildings with the ability to temper their environment.
SOPREMA has grouped its integrated rainwater management solutions into the Skywater® range, which aims to make water from roof terraces useful:
- Solutions to be installed on the roof to take advantage of the rain where it falls
- Based on nature, they promote biodiversity and refresh cities
- Compliant with Local Urban Planning Plans (PLU), they allow the management of rainwater on the plot
In France, buildings are responsible for 45% of energy consumption and 25% of greenhouse gases. Sustainable construction is the preferred path today and in the years to come. Climate change is there, floods and heat waves are the manifestations. We must therefore act and reinvent the building! The solution: build better and more sustainably while limiting our impact on the environment as much as possible to counter these devastating effects.
Water is the most precious good that we have but also one of the most destructive, we see it well when torrential rains fall on France, with episodes of great suddenness and violence. Today, the management of rainwater is at the heart of the challenges of the territories. It becomes everyone's business: communities, planners, businesses and even individuals.
The health crisis, which France has been experiencing since March 2020, has changed the relationship of each individual with his daily life, his environment, his habits. In this context, building companies have more than ever environmental and societal responsibilities. The revival must be done in favor of the ecological and energy transition.
At SOPREMA, we design and offer concrete solutions ensuring efficiency and improving our living environment. We provide our customers with a range of solutions that meet environmental challenges, by controlling rainwater in urban areas. We called it Skywater®.
These solutions apply to roofing, SOPREMA's area of expertise. 15 to 35% of a city's surface is covered with roofs, which means that the action potential is great! Sopranature® roof greening systems, nature-based solutions, help promote biodiversity and refresh the city. They are also fully compliant with the Local Urban Planning Plans (PLU). To size these green roofs and their hydraulic performance (reduction and flow regulation), we have even developed the Privilège software. It operates from local weather and regulatory data from the project.
The Skywater® range makes it possible to manage rainwater, whether by rain reduction - evapotranspiration and / or flow regulation. We have nothing to lose by changing our habits by using this type of solution which contributes to the evolution of our profession and is both virtuous and effective.
Pierre-Etienne Bindschedler,
Chairman and CEO of the SOPREMA group.
Climate change requires reinventing the building
According to IPCC experts (1), there is no longer any doubt that human activity is the cause of global warming. These same experts also recognize that the great water cycle is also directly impacted by this same activity.
Climate change is the cause of severe environmental phenomena such as city flooding and urban heat islands (UHI) caused by heat waves.
What do they have in common? The water. In the first case an overflow, in the second too little.
Making rainwater a resource for the city
Recommendations from water agencies
The 6 French water agencies (Rhône-Mediterranean and Corsica, Rhin-Meuse, Artois-Picardie, Seine-Normandy, Loire-Bretagne, Adour-Garonne) are responsible for protecting the water quality of the 6 metropolitan basins .
As public establishments of the ministry responsible for sustainable development, they issue recommendations for the monitoring, management and control of water. They help reduce pollution, and promote: balanced and economical management of water resources, drinking water supply, flood control and sustainable development of economic activities.
Actors in the implementation of public water policy, they carry out their missions within the framework of multiannual action programs with the final objective of achieving good water status (October water framework directive 2000).
As part of the treatment of rainwater, they encourage communities to implement alternative techniques.
Project management, exposed and responsible for water management at the plot level
The local regulations on rainwater are described in the Local Planning Plans (PLU) or the sanitation regulations: Flow limitation at the exit of the plot from 1L / s / Ha. Lowering instruction from 4 mm / d, generalizing to 10 mm / d. This is why the client is responsible for integrating rainwater management from the design of the building and green spaces (infiltrating or not).
The integration of solutions, preferably on the roof to free up land on the ground, contributes to obtaining the building permit. It is issued upon submission of documents justifying the establishment of rainwater management systems.
Thanks to its expertise and know-how in rainwater management and revegetation, Sopranature® is able to support the project from the outset for its proper development.
Local authorities integrate the recommendations into the PLUs
Under the influence of the actions carried out by the water agencies and their recommendations, cities, towns and large metropolitan areas are gradually adopting local legislation allowing better management of rainwater.
Skywater®, range of solutions to make useful water from roof terraces
SOPREMA has grouped its integrated rainwater management solutions into the Skywater® range.
It brings together a set of solutions to be installed on the roof, to be able to take advantage of the rain where it falls and make it useful.
Founded on Nature, they promote biodiversity and refresh the city.
Compliant with Local Urban Planning Plans, they allow rainwater management on the plot, flow limitation from 1 L / s / ha and / or reduction of 4 to 16 mm / d according to current guidelines.