Plastic may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of world-class luxury residential or retail developments, but for prestigious projects including the Etihad Museum, Dubai, Northgate Mall, Doha, the Juraina Mall, Sharjah, and an important residential project in Jumeirah, Dubai, plastic is integral to their success.
Polypipe’s innovative plastic polypropylene geocellular tank technology, Polystorm, provides effective stormwater and drainage management and was selected for the projects over traditional concrete tanks for a multitude of practical and economical reasons.
Polystorm is cost effective, durable, lightweight and fast to install and helps developers meet challenging sustainability targets. It now plays a crucial role in the drainage management strategy for many high profile and prestigious developments across the region.
Why ambitious developers use Polystorm
Innovation sits at the heart of all construction work in the Gulf region. From His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s ambitious UAE Vision 2021, to the ambitious plans for progressive, sustainable development, the need for innovation in materials and design has never been more significant.
Polystorm SuDS tanks are part of Polypipe’s extensive range of innovative drainage, rainwater and water management systems. The modular, geocellular design is used to help create resilient, sustainable cities for the future, at a fraction of the cost (both environmentally and financially) of traditional concrete alternatives.
The geocellular tanks sit below hard surfaces and collect and store stormwater and surface water channeled from buildings’ rain water outlets and surface drains, providing a one-stop approach to surface water retention and treatment, attenuation, infiltration, soakaway and flow control. This water is collected and utilised for irrigation, helping property developers meet ambitious sustainability targets.
Why is Polystorm better than concrete?
Whereas concrete tanks have traditionally been used as part of major construction projects, Polystorm, a custom built plastic tank system, offers a more convenient, faster and more cost-effective alternative.
Manufactured from Virgin Polypropylene, the engineered plastics used to create Polystorm are lighter, more economical, stronger and as robust as concrete. What’s more, they are designed and tested especially for use in Middle Eastern conditions.
Nine reasons why contractors and property developers love Polystorm
{Clue: four out of nine reasons will save you money.}
- Cost effective (better for budgets)
Polystorm is cheaper than concrete – both in terms of material composition and purchase cost, as well as installation. Not only that, but when it comes to whole life costs, Polystorm can offer up to 60% savings over traditional concrete alternatives.
- Easier and cheaper to transport (better for budgets)
Polypipe’s polypropylene tanks are lighter than equivalent concrete alternatives, making them cheaper and easier to transport, and making it easier to transport greater volumes on a single load.
This means lighter lorry loads and reduced, faster deliveries and off-loading, providing direct costs savings and environmental benefits, as well as reduced vehicle movements on-site, giving additional Health and Safety benefits.
- Faster and easier to install (better for budgets)
Polystorm is designed and manufactured, then structurally checked for each specific installation. It is supplied ready-to-install, and with a quick yet robust interlocking mechanism, meaning the modular Polystorm cells can be quickly and easily installed, reducing overall project times and helping contractors get in and get out (and paid) as efficiently as possible.
At the Northgate Mall in Doha, Polystorm was successfully installed in a fraction of the time compared to conventional methods.
- Cheaper to install (better for budgets)
In many circumstances, no machinery is required to install Polystorm products, providing cost savings on-site, as well as environmental benefits such as removing the need for temporary access works and preventing damage to existing road surfaces.
- Lightweight (better for backs, better for the environment)
Polystorm tanks typically weigh up to 94% less than their concrete equivalents. Not only does this have clear environmental and economical benefits when it comes to logistics and transportation, but by eliminating heavy lifting it’s also good news for those involved in storage and handling (and their backs!) and the Health and Safety team too.
- Strong and reliable (better for durability)
Polystorm is designed for use in trafficked and loaded applications, and despite being lightweight Polystorm tanks are strong and durable with suitable load bearing capacities, meaning they can create a strong, flexible tank below parks, roads (or other hard surfaces) to store water channeled from buildings and surface drains.
- Efficient (better for the environment)
With a smaller footprint than concrete alternatives and a 95% void ratio for maximum water capture and retention, Polystorm is incredibly efficient, helping developers squeeze every last inch of space to maximise water management capacity. It is also often possible to make the tanks even smaller to suit the application.
- Bespoke and versatile (better for fulfilling challenging design)
By offering a completely bespoke approach to subsurface water storage, and with versatility in length and width, Polystorm gives specifiers and contractors in the Middle East the opportunity to create wholly unique designs that match the exact demands of their development.
- Local production for local conditions (better for peace of mind)
Polystorm is specifically manufactured in Polypipe’s 72,000ft2 facility in Dubai to meet the region’s extreme and demanding climatic environment. Local production for Middle Eastern conditions provides the reassurance of specialist technology for regional requirements.
How Polypipe could help you save time and money whilst fulfilling ambitious design plans
Polypipe systems are versatile, adaptable and designed to cope with a variety of applications, from large commercial developments to schools, landscaped and residential areas. They’re tried, tested, proven and intelligently engineered.
Having operated in the Middle East for over 50 years, Polypipe has built a solid reputation for helping governments, property developers, contractors and planners identify innovative water management solutions to put resilience and sustainability at the heart of the development, whilst maximising profitability.
Contact us today to discuss the transformative solutions for your project:
Tel: +971 (0) 4 518 3000
Email: middleeast@polypipe.com