Working with The Hydrologic Cycle

The way water moves from the Earth’s surface, into the atmosphere, and back to earth again is called the hydrologic cycle. As technology evolves how we manage and harness water at each stage of this cycle provides us with the solutions to make better use of water and moisture throughout the built environment.

Solutions that work with nature

The hydrologic cycle illustrates how nature deals with rainfall. It is a continuous cycle whereby precipitation becomes surface run off, surface run off goes through the process of evaporation or transpiration, then becoming condensation and the cycle repeats.

At Genuit Group, our products, systems and services are designed to intercept, harness, or manage water at different points of the hydrologic cycle for the benefit of all.

These range from small scale blue-green roofs and tree pits to large storage tanks used for surface water runoff and water management, through to market-leading ventilation systems that manage the progress and effect of moisture in commercial and residential settings. Our solutions aim to provide storage and/or routes for excess water, which can then be released into the environment in the most beneficial way.

Our systems are also designed to enhance the impact of the hydrologic cycle by encouraging  biodiversity in built up city environments through water retention systems, or managing the rate of water flow back into natural watercourses to reduce the risk of river flooding.

How Genuit Group systems manage water in all forms

1 . Precipitation

We often experience excessive and unpredictable rain fall and storm weather in the UK, which is only increasing as a result of climate change.

The Permavoid system involves the installation of a tank or network underground. This provides stormwater retention, attenuation, or infiltration. This solution not only provides storage, but also ensures that the water which is fed back into the atmosphere is filtered of any pollutants it has encountered when passing through ground level.

2 . Evaporation/Transpiration

Polypipe Civils & Green Urbanisation provide a tree root solution, ArborRaft. The solution aims to address the issues often seen in city centres whereby tree roots break through the surface of the road and compromise nearby infrastructure due to lack of space for a healthy root to grow.

ArborRaft serves to reinforce the ground above the root, reserves root growth space, and provides water to surrounding greenery. This protects the natural cycle of water absorption through the root, leading eventually to ‘leaf stomata’ – the release of water as gas.

On a larger scale, Polypipe Civils are expert in creating blue/green roof technology, very popular for office and residential buildings.

While allowing for the natural renewal of water to occur through effective drainage, and encouraging biodiversity, the roof also has some natural heating and cooling properties. This is an important consideration especially amidst the hiking up of utility prices, and recent heatwaves.

3 . Condensation

Condensation within homes and other buildings typically affects kitchens and bathrooms, rooms that involve the use of heated water.

Condensation causes damp. At best, some staining, peeling of wallpaper, cracking of paint will occur. At worst, damp causes harmful mould to grow on walls, ceilings and floors which can cause respiratory issues to the users and structural damage to the building. It also makes the sale of the property difficult.

Adequate ventilation systems are required to eliminate this risk. While opening a window will provide some ventilation, it is not as effective at eliminating condensation as heating solutions for the entire property. When vapourised water does not encounter cold surfaces, condensation will not form.

The most effective and sustainable solution would be MVHR (mechanical ventilation and heat recovery) such as the solutions provided by Nuaire.

These ventilation systems work by taking the hot evaporated air produced in bathrooms and kitchens, combining this with cool air, and dispersing around the house. This provides a more sustainable method of heating or cooling the property whilst preventing against condensation simultaneously.

Genuit Group continue to invest in sustainable innovations which allow us to continue to develop and progress in modern ways, without compromising the environment. We continue to use water management to protect nature, and to provide solutions for infrastructure, for both commercial and domestic use.

For more information about our products and systems, our efforts towards sustainability targets, and to find out about our unique and innovative businesses, visit: https://www.genuitgroup.com/about-us/our-business-units/