Test field with subsoil DrainMix® on display in the WaterStraat of the Green Village at TU Delft

Partly due to the changing climate, heavy showers and drought are increasingly leading to problems. This is why business and science are developing solutions for dealing with the enormous amounts of water and drought. In the WaterStraat, a project of The Green Village, VP Delta and TU Delft, entrepreneurs, researchers and area managers work together on new innovative products to better deal with flooding and drought in the city. From the end of May, there will also be a test field with the sustainable building material DrainMix®, made from bottom ash left over after processing residual waste, as a substrate.

Drainmix® is suitable as foundation and water management of sports fields, squares, parking lots and footpaths. The trial field with DrainMix® came about thanks to a collaboration between SUEZ, Kyoto Boost, Heros Sluiskil, Wavin, KSP Kunstgras, Heijmans and MBI De Steenmeesters.

Drainage and storage
SUEZ, specialist in waste and resource management, and innovator Kyoto Boost have jointly developed DrainMix®. Drainmix® is a building material reminiscent of lava and can be used in various constructions. The fraction with an open structure allows rainfall to infiltrate calmly and drain or be stored quickly as needed. In fact, DrainMix® has the ability to transport and buffer water very quickly. The space between the granules allows the water to drain quickly. It can also be stored for later use.

WaterStreet test environment
The WaterStraat is an initiative of the Delfland Water Board, VPdelta and The Green Village. It is a testing ground for experiments, research and demonstration. In the WaterStraat a trial field has been laid with a foundation of Drainmix. Students at TU Delft will conduct further research here into the characteristics and properties of DrainMix®. In addition to serving as the foundation of the test field, DrainMix® is also present in the WaterStraat as a base material. This allows interested parties to see what the material looks like.

Drainmix® Potential.
Paul Valster, Director of New Business at SUEZ about the trial field with Drainmix® in the WaterStraat: "The WaterStraat works on practical solutions for a future-proof city. DrainMix® is a perfect example of that. We can only applaud the fact that students from TU Delft are further exploring the potential of Drainmix® there. Together with our partners, we are proud to have been assigned a spot in the WaterStraat and to further develop the application possibilities of Drainmix® in the coming period."