Heelproof grating: the people-friendly drainage solution
We’re sure you've come across a similar situation before.
You need a specific solution to resolve a problem, but you’re struggling to find it because the standard options available are not what you’re looking for.
You have a specific need to resolve a specific problem.
This is a common issue, but occasionally you have a bit of luck. You come across a supplier that can offer you customised or adapted products, which don’t always have to be too complicated, and you find the exact solution you were looking for.
Well, that’s what happened with the project I'm going to talk about today: the Explanada promenade in Alicante.
Alicante is famous for its sun and good weather, but let's not kid ourselves, in autumn and winter, even though the temperatures are fairly mild, it suffers from pretty heavy rainfall (remember the cold drop). That's why the drainage in its streets needs to be able to accommodate the volume of water it receives.
The Explanada is a seaside promenade that stretches alongside the port and also the beach for over 500 metres. It is one of the city's most iconic walkways.
When renovating the area, the city council needed a drainage solution that, on the one hand, had sufficient hydraulic capacity to drain all the water that built up, while, on the other hand, offered a “people-friendly” grating design that would allow pedestrians to walk along the promenade (at times barefoot, after walking off the beach), and its terraces.
The technical team at ULMA knew exactly what to do.
They needed a channel with significant hydraulic capacity, such as the F300 model with lattice grating that we call “heelproof”, because, as its name suggests, the holes are large enough to drain water, but too small to allow high heels to get stuck in them ;). Using this grating prevents unfortunate trips or accidents, while also guaranteeing optimal hydraulic capacity.
Heelproof grating
However, a problem arose when we realised that the maximum width available in the heelproof grating was only 250 mm, whereas the width required for the F300 model was 360 mm. This meant that the specific grating we needed didn't actually exist.
But fortunately we love little challenges like this. We like to listen to our customers and, wherever possible, offer the perfect solutions to their needs. We got to work and designed a grating with the required width.
Once the challenge had been overcome, 230 linear metres of the F300 channel with the heelproof latticed grating were then installed.
For big or small customisation projects, contact us here
Hidden drainage
The city council was also looking for another drainage solution to extend the promenade out of the terrace area, but this time wanted something more discreet and aesthetically pleasing.
In this case, the solution already existed and was installed with no issues. We offered a hidden drainage system with a slot drainage, where discreet slots are able to drain away from 150 to 240 cm2/ml of water, depending on the model chosen.
In this area the Multi V100 channel model was installed with a built-in slope, along with the slot drainage.
So, the next time you're looking for a non-standard drainage solution, give us a try. We're sure we'll be able to help.
