Home Renovations Interlock Paving - It Was Good Enough For The Roma | Page 7

Environmentally Friendly
However, interlocking pavers are not just strong and ornate they are also more environmentally
friendly than solid concrete or tarmac surfaces. This is because the interlocking design is
permeable to rainwater as it can seep through the gaps between the stones into the ground. This
importantly prevents heavy rainfall from gathering in pools or running off into the street
creating further drainage problems by overloading the storm drains. In addition the run-off
from an impervious surface such as asphalt or concrete may contain harmful chemicals and oil
residue that will be diverted into the storm drains via the curbs and culverts polluting the water
supply. However it is not just the rain run-off that can cause problems as traditional asphalt
surfaces get very hot during summer when subjected to direct sunlight. So they heat up quickly
during the day and cool down again slowly overnight. This in effect creates what are known as
urban heat islands with artificially high ambient temperatures. Interlocking paving can reduce
the effects of overheating by using palecoloured pavers as these naturally reflect surface
sunlight and therefore they will absorb less heat and thus reduce the ambient temperature. It has
also been noted that by using palecoloured pavers urban street lighting energy levels can be
reduced as the pavers reflect the light which then requires less electricity be expended to
provide the same amount of light.