Addressing the growing demand for flood protection solutions, Danish firm Wintec has developed AquaBlokk, a sluice system comprising building blocks that are ready to be lowered into the water as soon as they arrive on-site. The firm says a new sluice can be up and running in 48 hours.
“With more extreme weather followed by [things like] flooding, we have to invent innovative solutions to protect people living in low-lying areas. If we neglect to solve these problems, then eventually people will have to abandon their homes,” said Oliver Bach, CEO of Wintec.
It typically takes six weeks minimum to build a sluice: You need a contractor to prepare the underground, a carpenter to build the mould, a concrete company to cast the sluice and then a technician to install the sluice, the control panel, activators, pumps and so on.
“We have finished complete projects within 48 hours, because we arrive onsite with the pre-built block where sluice, pumps, motors [and so on] are already built in. With AquaBlokk, everything is ready to be lowered into the building pit,” said Bach.
“This is also much more cost efficient because the customer only needs two suppliers for the entire project; Wintec and a contractor for preparing the building site if necessary.”
After installation, the system is ready for operation. The control system can be connected to the internet and operators can use a computer, a tablet or a smartphone to control water flow and regulation of the sluice gate.
Wintec will be exhibiting at the Pavilion of Denmark at Aquatech 2017. Meet them at stand number 07.401B.
