Snøhetta creates hexagonal paver system for urban landscapes
Interlocking hexagonal pieces make up Flyt, a permeable paver system developed by Norwegian studio Snøhetta as an easy-to-use water management solution for urban areas around the world.
Commissioned by outdoor products supplier Asak, it aims to offer landscape architects, builders and developers a water management solution that is easy and creative to use.
It is also a response to the "urgent need for solutions to increase the urban water-management toolbox" as the world faces an increase in extreme weather conditions, Snøhetta said.
"By leveraging insights from our landscape architects, we realised that there's an urgent need for solutions to increase the urban water-management toolbox, reflecting the increasing challenges we globally face," said Snøhetta's director of product design Marius Myking.
"[The main goal] was to develop a solution and design that gave landscape architects, builders, and developers the freedom to be creative and form outdoor spaces in their way," he told Dezeen.
"We wanted the system to be easy to use and open up new opportunities to implement critical water management solutions in more ways."
Flyt is primarily aimed at urban landscapes requiring large permeable areas. It is shortlisted in the sustainable building product category in the Dezeen Awards 2023.
Snøhetta is currently working on Flyt installations worldwide, having recently installed it in a Lillehammer Olympic Park and at a pick-up point at a school in Arendal.
The system comprises three types of interlocking hexagonal pieces made of concrete, which are overlaid on gravel to ensure the permeability of the system.
According to Snøhetta, while being creative and easy to use, it also allows more flexibility and adaptability to different landscapes, unlike conventional paver systems.
"There are many suitable permeable pavers in the market. However, each of these designs has been developed as a singular design to adhere to a limited use," the studio said.
"These solutions have tended only to be used in highly industrial spaces and specific areas. In contrast, Flyt has been developed to address gradually changing needs and thus is also an expression informed by actual function and water-management strategy for each project."
Snøhetta is an architecture and design studio founded by architects Craig Dykers and Kjetil Trædal Thorsen in 1989.
Its other recent landscape projects include a path of stones off the coast of Norway that emerges and disappears with the tide and a cantilevered viewing platform on the Perspektivenweg walking trail.
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