Drainage blocks from ACO Polycrete were installed inside the Arena
Pernambuco, one of the stadiums hosting the World Cup matches this year.
Located in the northern Brazilian coastal town of Recife, the Arena
Pernambuco has been able to avoid water logging on the field unlike the scene
outside on the roads leading up to the stadium, with standing water sometimes
up to 18 inches deep or more after a torrential downpour.
The Fernandes Associated Architects firm, which was responsible for the
stadium’s construction, utilised modern construction techniques to help handle
the elements at the 66-acre site.
ACO Brazil supplied more than 1,300 feet of Monoblock PD200 drainage
blocks to ring the all-grass turf. Featuring large inflow slots on the top, the
drainage blocks ensure that surface water enters the drain quickly with hollow
channels carrying the overflow water through the drainage system.
The Monoblock system channels rainwater through its drainage system for
reuse both within and outside the stadium. To prevent water build-up on the
field, the engineers and architects designed large trenches with piping that
were burrowed deep in the base layer of the field during construction to help
drain water. Drainage layers of porous material were additionally installed
underneath the Bermuda Tifway 419 grass type, a product used in six of the 12
World Cup venues and commonly used for warm-weather turf.
