Innovation through Collaboration – Community Friendly Wingwalls

With the idea of keeping up to date with market insights, discovering innovation opportunities, and connecting with our customers, Hynds Pipes Systems organises frequent Focus Group meetings. Such events include participants from across the country, from Councils to Water NZ representatives, University students, Professors, and Crown research institutes, among others.

During our 2018 session, one of the topics that gained particular-attention was “how to reduce the visual impact of concrete structures in the urban environment?”. Initial discussions with Councils centered around the fact that while structures such as concrete precast stormwater outlets and wingwalls typically perform in accordance with design standards and structural requirements; their visual impact in settings such as Regional Parks, beaches, and playgrounds didn’t necessarily meet with urban design goals.

To address this opportunity to provide a more ‘fit for community’ outcome, a working group of Healthy Waters Auckland Council and Hynds Pipe Systems representatives started to work on the assessment and co-development of an improved water outlet solution.

This presentation illustrates the process and the latest progress on how the working group has moved from ideation phase, through to the prototype stage to create a solution that could:

- Reduce the visual impact of specific concrete structures helping to reduce the aesthetic impact of stormwater engineering within the urban context

- Provide a friendlier integration with the surrounding areas (i.e. landscape design, Regional Parks settings, playground settings)

- Take into account Safety in Design principles for the assets life

- Enable installation and construction by contractors with a lower skill base to increase consistency around install quality

- Considers hydraulic principles to minimize or benefit change in flow velocity through the system