Rain (a)Way

Already implemented in Rotterdam, Amsterdam, Tilburg and Bergeijk, the Rain (a)Way design sees rainwater as a positive quality to city life, instead of a problem that causes flooding and overflowing sewers. The method ensures that rainwater can be filtered back into the soil in urban areas, preventing the usual issues that are faced with heavy downpours; it also averts heat stress and makes unique designs which bring a pleasing aesthetic quality to a city landscape.

Rain (a)Way alleviates the current rainwater issues through their personally developed tiling system: ‘Ebb-tiles’ guide the rainwater to a pond, garden or drainage system whilst the ‘Flood-tiles’ let water permeate more easily into the ground, and collect it to prevent flooding. Though these products currently only apply to small scale areas, the Rain (a)Way creators are designing a sustainable sidewalk tile that complies with all requirements of public space tiles. With this new piece, Rain (a)Way hope to have a larger, international impact which encourages architects and designers to think about sustainable solutions to the issue of rainwater in urban environments.