Wavin, a Dutch player in global water infrastructure solutions, announced that it has acquired MetroPolder, a startup in the field of water storage on green flat roofs. With the acquisition, Wavin is gaining specific expertise and solutions for urban flood control.
The announcement comes against the backdrop of increasingly extreme weather events and long periods of drought that have been pressuring the cities to adopt stormwater management solutions.
Cities are mostly designed to dispose of water as quickly as possible. The Dutch startup MetroPolder is a pioneer in the field of water storage on green flat roofs: the company has developed a technology to capture water on flat roofs and reuse it for cooling, irrigation and recycling.
“Wavin sees rainwater as a resource, not a problem,” says Friso Klapwijk, CEO of MetroPolder. “That's where we found each other. We want to make cities future-proof, by applying smart water management. Think of reusing rainwater or for cooling cities to combat heat stress. We are pleased and proud to be part of the Wavin family from now on.”
MetroPolder’s blue-green roofs are equipped with a buffer system, an internet-connected valve and an online dashboard. The valves sensors and rain radars control the water level and discharge real-time. This smart connection enables dynamic water storage. A proven effective technology that has been implemented in projects in several locations worldwide, including the Netherlands, Guatemala, United States, France and the United Kingdom.
“The green/blue roof solution of MetroPolder is a proven successful, international, application that puts Wavin as a company in an even better position to make cities more climate resilient,” says Maarten Roef, CEO of Wavin. “Supplemented with the knowledge and expertise of MetroPolder, we are convinced that we will succeed in getting more and more cities to look at the applications of water differently. Because the opportunities are plentiful.”
