Sustainable construction innovators Dura Products has seen the installation of its product Duradrain at the Merseyside Police headquarters in Liverpool. Overseen by contractors Willmott Dixon, the combined kerb and drainage system now lines the surrounding kerbs, parking bays and electric charging points.
Duradrain, comprised of 70% recycled material in every 500mm unit, provides an efficient and safe method of draining highways, car parks and other structures with a kerb edge while being extremely environmentally friendly. Last year, its environmental credentials were confirmed when the company published its Life Cycle Assessments, in which it recorded a carbon footprint of just 1.47kg of carbon dioxide per kg.
The decision to install Duradrain at the purpose-built, four-storey centre, in which 1,100 officers will be based, was part of the wider mission to design the site to meet the latest standards in energy efficiency and consider its long-term impact on the environment. Other sustainable features include LED light throughout and 260 solar panels on the roof.
Dura Products, based in Deeside, Flintshire, has long been at the forefront of innovation when it comes to green construction, since its flagship product, Durakerb, a lightweight kerb solution made from 88% recycled plastic content, entered the market in 2003. Each of its three products, in addition to being created out of high recycled plastic content and having low carbon outputs, require little energy use during transportation and installation, thanks to its lightweight composition. It also has unlimited end-of-life potential; as each unit can be reused, recycled and carbon recovered.
Proving increasingly popular among contractors as demand for green construction projects soars, Dura Products can be found at many other notable locations around the UK. This includes Thames Tideway’s Barn Elms site, alongside the €241 million Turlough to Westport Bypass project in County Mayo, Ireland, as well as at the UK’s first net-zero restaurant, a McDonald’s in Market Drayton.
Commenting on the contract, Steve Bennett, Managing Director of Dura Products said: “This project by Willmott Dixon is the archetypal example of modern, efficient and sustainable construction. We are delighted they chose Duradrain – a low cost, low carbon solution to surface water drainage, as one of a number of impactful, sustainable features across the site.”
