Snøhetta creates hexagonal paver system for urban landscapes

Permeable paver system designed as water management solution for urban areas

Created by Snøhetta and ASAK Miljøstein, Flyt is a concrete paving system that uses interlocking hexagonal pieces to create a permeable paver system for an easy-to-use water management solution for urban areas.

Commissioned by outdoor products supplier Asak, the system aims to offer landscape architects, builders, and urban developers an easy and creative to-use solution to future urban water management challenges.

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, Flyt gives designers more flexibility and adaptability to different landscapes, unlike conventional paver systems.

Permeable surfaces are part of an increasingly needed category of nature-based water management systems, including green roofs, rain harvest beds, open natural water streams, and similar approaches to managing larger water loads, cloudbursts, and flash floods.

Flyt collection consists of three hexagonal interlocking stones that can be combined to create seamless transitions when designing outdoor spaces while providing landscape architects with a powerful tool for nature-based water management.

The different interlocking spaces between each stone in the Flyt paving system make the collection different from existing paving systems. It allows for fluent transitions between various users and needs in the urban landscape and up to 28% permeability per square meter of water.

Primarily aimed at urban landscapes requiring large permeable areas Flyt has recently been installed at two sites in Norway, the Lillehammer Olympic Park and a school in Arendal.