E.C.O. BY PRATOPRATICO® (ORNAMENTAL DRIVEWAY ELEMENT) IS A MODULAR GRID MADE OF RECYCLED PLASTIC FOR OUTDOOR USE THAT ENABLES THE CREATION OF DRIVEWAY PAVINGS WITH A LAWN FINISH TO GREAT AESTHETIC, FUNCTIONAL AND ECOLOGICAL ADVANTAGE.

E.C.O. di PRATOPRATICO® is made of a particular plastic material (half pure with high technical and mechanical performance and half recycled) that is able to offer an excellent quality/price ratio. The E.C.O. flooring develops rapidly and economically through the union of various gratings with a male/female hooking system.

The use of recycled material, although it represents a laudable initiative from an ecological point of view, is not always free of contraindications. A recycled compound certainly affects the price favorably, however, at the expense of the quality and durability of the product. Precisely for this reason E.C.O. di PRATOPRATICO® is made of 50% virgin material, so as to favorably combine the cost-effectiveness and quality of the product.

ADVANTAGES

E.C.O. di PRATOPRATICO® represents an ingenious system to make a lawn treadable, protecting it from damage caused by the transit and parking of vehicles in any kind of atmospheric conditions. At the same time, it also supports the growth and natural rooting of the lawn.
The essence of E.C.O. is very simple: it’s a question of “arming” the natural soil surface with a modular flooring made up of a grating with a highly robust cellular structure where the turf, which remains a few millimetres below the higher limit of the flooring walls, is protected from squashing or stress.

E.C.O. di PRATOPRATICO® is resistant to atmospheric agents. It’s environmentally friendly and is completely recyclable. The specially studied shape of the cells not only allows the vital structure of the round to be respected, but also helps permeability and the exchange of nutritional elements, air and light. The aesthetic, functional and ecological advantages offered by this innovative flooring are evident: a lawn surface naturally filters the soil’s meteoric waters, respecting the site’s hydrogeological balance. During the summer period, moreover, it does not produce undesired thermic effects linked to overheating of the surface with natural finishing.

The curvilinear shape considerably improves the resistance of the vertical walls to compression and bending. The pleasant aesthetic beauty offered by this shape hides a very important and valid structure. During the design phase, the flooring performance was improved by creating s-shaped walls instead of straight ones in order to produce the classic “arch effect”. On one hand, this provides a more efficient absorption and division of the forces developed by an accelerating or braking vehicle which are roughly unloaded on the wall sections, on the other, the vertical load capacity on the same structural surface increases considerably.

APPLICATIONS

  • Access areas for cars and motor vehicles;
  • Public and private parking areas in residential, directional, commercial, sports, industrial areas, etc. (for example: schools, condominiums, banks, trade centres, companies, hotels, hospitals, etc.);
  • Bicycle tracks and pedestrian walkways; paths in golf courses and sport plants; equipped areas (gazebo and barbecue areas, etc.);
  • Lawn protection in spaces used for entertainment and recreation, against wear and tear caused by games for children, (swings, slides, etc.) and in the areas beneath the benches;
  • Protection of lawn surface against damage caused by hostile acts of animals (dogs, etc.); removable laybies for campers, roulottes, various garage areas, etc.;
  • Various types of structures for parks and camping sites;
  • Temporary surfaces, on chance pieces of land for various events: fairs, markets, tent theatres, etc.;
  • Surrounding surfaces for tree trunks; roof gardens; ornamental gardens;
  • Consolidation of slopes to contrast wash away and erosion phenomenons;
  • Heliports and strips for ultralight aircraft; covers for flat roofs and terraces to protect the impermeability layer.

With E.C.O. it is possible to respect urban constraints and render the areas, which have to be green areas by precept, functional.

In case of slopes it is important to consider the adherence coefficient. For this reason, assuming prudentially a wet surface and tires and medium/high use status, it is not recommended to use ECO by Pratopratico for inclinations greater than 8%. Adherence can be improved by inserting joists in stone material.

TECHNICAL DATA

Working dimensions cm 60 x40 x 4,2 h
Pieces per m2 pcs ± 4
Weight per piece kg/pcs 1,297
Bearing capacity t/m2 > 300
Colour green/white
Pallet dimensions cm 100 x 120 x 220 h
Pallet m2 m2/PAL 62,4
Pallet pieces pcs/PAL 260
Pallet weight kg/PAL 345

Green: Grass chippings finish
White: Grass or loose chippings finish

INSTALLATION

Due to the light weight of each single element laying is possible with the aid of machinery. If it becomes necessary to adapt and shape the module, E.C.O. may be cut directly on site with the tools commonly used in such cases.

Once the stability of the sand bed has been verified – a common problem before any kind of roadworks – the following steps must be taken to create our driveway lawn:

  1. PERMEABLE LAYER Consisting of granular, finely crushed stones 3-10 mm. Thickness must amount to about 5/7 cm. The optional sand bed (consisting of siliceous sand) has to be about 3 cm thick.
  2. DEVELOPING OF THE FLOORING WITH THE GRATINGS OF E.C.O. Leave empty spaces of about 3/5 cm for the natural dilatation of the material in the following cases: when laying on large surfaces, when laying on variable slopes; in the presence of stringcourses or other elements delimiting the perimeter that is being treated.
  3. FILLING OF THE E.C.O. CELLS The filling process must partially saturate the cells, the level reaching to 1 cm below the flooring’s upper border. Then sowing.

It is important to carry out an adequate evaluation of the local conditions of the soil. Our instructions are, in fact, in general terms and the preparation of the foundation must be suitable for the type of soil, the climatic conditions and the load intensity.

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