Unprecedented flooding, extreme droughts and water shortages have driven cities to find a new solution to water management: creating their own water cycle.
Orbia helps reimagine city infrastructure, from building roofs to roadways to underground space, to play a key role in creating an urban water cycle that mimics natural ecosystems and allows cities to become water neutral; balancing their water use with what nature can sustainably provide.
Orbia’s Building & Infrastructure business Wavin has created a suite of urban climate resilience solutions that help cities reach water neutrality, ensuring water isn’t wasted.
Effective water management begins even before the first drop of rain falls. Orbia builds intelligent water collection systems that can be placed on city rooftops, building balconies and even in courtyards. The systems monitor local weather forecasts to determine when a rain event is predicted and can release water into city sewer systems to free up capacity to hold rainwater before a storm.
Then, the first drops of rainfall are immediately captured by the retention systems and reused top down. For example, a smart blue-green roof releases constant water to nearby plants and can route water down to greenified balconies or to a storage tank to be reused within a building. Furthermore, it helps to prevent city sewers from becoming overwhelmed during heavy rainfalls.
Watch the video to see how Orbia’s smart water technologies are helping cities:
Some examples of cities where you can find Orbia's solutions include:
London
With London’s drainage network dating back to the Victorian era, increased population density and extreme weather are placing intense demands on the capacity of city water systems. Orbia is helping alleviate the pressure by creating a smart rain garden along a stretch of roadway in partnership with Meristem Design. An underground water storage tank, the AquaCell, absorbs and stores water during rain events to relieve pressure on existing surface water management systems and provides five weeks worth of irrigation water during dry periods, supporting wildflowers and other local plants.
An Orbia Wavin project created a rain garden in central London
Amsterdam
The Resilio project in Amsterdam uses Orbia’s smart blue-green roof solution, the PolderRoof, to create a connected network of 10,000m² city smart blue-green rooftops that allows city planners to manage the water captured across entire neighborhoods. For example, following a rainfall event, the roofs can be coordinated to release their water at staggered times to reduce the risk of overwhelming sewer systems.
The Resilio project in Amsterdam uses Orbia Wavin’s PolderRoof smart blue-green roof solution to capture and store rainwater
New York City
Orbia installed a PolderRoof system into a residential building’s courtyard in Brooklyn, New York. This created a green space irrigated by rainwater and reduced the building's energy consumption by providing shade, thermal mass and insulation.
A courtyard in New York City leverage Orbia Wavin’s PolderRoof system
Hasselt, Belgium
Orbia installed nearly 100 new trees into the city’s Quartier Bleu neighborhood using Orbia’s Wavin TreeTank system to protect the trees’ roots, deliver rainwater efficiently and prevent trees from disrupting infrastructure as they grow, such as sidewalks and roadways. Now residents can enjoy benefits from a greener neighborhood to improved air quality, better water drainage and a cooling effect on hot days.
New trees are planted in Hasselt, Belgium using Orbia Wavin’s TreeTanks
Water is no longer just a utility to be used once and discarded — it's a strategic asset in the fight against climate change and urban vulnerability. By rethinking how we manage it, cities can shift from reactive crisis management to proactive climate resilience. Every drop of water can make a big impact in creating livable, lovable and resilient cities.
This article is part of Orbia’s Megatrendsetters blog series, which explores how Orbia’s solutions are driving the transformative forces, or “megatrends” that are advancing our society, from decarbonization and the circular economy to shifting supply chains and agribusiness to global water and digitalization. To learn more about Orbia Building & Infrastructure’s urban climate resilience and circular water management solutions, visit Orbia Wavin’s website here.