A town in northern England is receiving government-funded flood defenses to solve flood issues impacting cities throughout the Cumbria region. The defenses will include a glass panel flood wall system provided by Pilkington UK and Kuraray. Flood Control International will design and install the system.
The 127-foot-long glass wall will be located in Kendal, in southern Cumbria. The wall will be designed to protect properties without spoiling the town’s beauty and retaining riverside views. This section will be the first of three locations throughout Kendal, comprising part of the 3.7 miles of flood walls and embankments.
The need for flood prevention follows a December 2015 storm that flooded more than 2,276 homes and businesses in Kendal, Burneside, Staveley and Ings.
“This project has been one of collaboration and innovation to ensure that we provide residents of Kendal with a solution that not only benefits them in terms of safety but remains unobtrusive to the town’s landscape and heritage,” says Peter Maj, area sales manager at Pilkington UK. “Our work with Kuraray has enabled us to provide a sophisticated glass solution that will stand up against the harshest conditions. Adding our self-cleaning technology means that residents can rest assured that the proposed flood defenses will remain clear, needing little maintenance throughout its service.”
The glass will include alternating layers of glass and interlayers to create a 35 mm laminate, with tempered glass as the outer panes and a tempered 12 mm middle pane. The glass panels have undergone rigorous strength testing and have the capability to safely hold back water in the event of water levels rising, say Pilkington UK officials.
