Pratopratico®

Pratopratico® represents an ingenious system to make a lawn treadable, protecting it from damage caused by the transit and parking of vehicles, including heavy vehicles, in any kind of atmospheric conditions.

The essence of Pratopratico® 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 millimitres below the higher limit of the flooring walls, is protected from squashing or stress.

The grating is made of a particular plastic material with high quality technical/mechanical characteristics, non-toxic and unattackable by atmospheric and chemical agents. The Pratopratico® flooring develops rapidly and economically through the union of various gratings with a male/female hooking system. 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.

ADVANTAGES

Functional and aesthetic viewpoint:

It respects the soil’s vital structure and protects the lawn in a non-invasive way.
It favours drainage and the exchange of nutritional elements that benefit a rapid and solid root growth.
It acts as a surface stabilizer; that is why Pratopratico® can be used to contrast soil wash away and erosion phenomena on slopes.
It gives the grass a spectacular “mosaic effect”.
It does not absorb humidity and does not transmit heat, allowing the grass to grow naturally.

Griglia per pavimentazioni carrabili con finitura a prato o in ghiaia

From a performance and mechanical viewpoint:

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.

With regard to the refined, structural value of the module and the shape of its cells, the following information is highlighted in the graph below:

The radiation of all the points of union between the walls, a critical point traditionally exposed to breaking.
The presence of 135 cone trunks.
The trapezial wall section.
The anti-slip rugged finishing.
Deliberately irregular contours to better harmonise the natural context.

Pratopratico® is made from virgin, non-toxic thermoplastic resin; the product may be entirely recycled in full respect of the environment. The special cell conformation, studied ad hoc, not only respects the soil’s vital structure, but favours permeability and the exchange of nutritive elements contained in the air and light.
The raw material used does not absorb humidity and does not deprive the grass of its main resource: water.
With Pratopratico® the grassy and draining surface is approximately 95%.

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 barbecuae areas, etc.);
Ornamental gardens;
Gravel paths. (Pratopratico®, prevents waste of crushed stone, makes maintenance elimination and definite reintegration possible);
Pool borders and beach paths (not presenting any sharp corners, the flooring can be treaded barefoot);
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;
Consolidation of slopes to contrast wash away and erosion phenomenons;
Temporary surfaces, on chance pieces of land for various events: fairs, markets, tent theatres, etc.;
Removable lay-bies for campers, roulottes, various garage areas, etc.;
Various types of structures for parks and camping sites;
Surrounding surfaces for tree trunks;
Heliports and strips for ultralight aircraft;
Protection of lawn surface against damage caused by hostile acts of animals (dogs, etc.);
Roof gardens;

With Pratopratico® 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 Pratopratico for inclinations greater than 8%. Adherence can be improved by inserting joists in stone material.

TECHNICAL DATA

Working dimensions	cm	50 x 50 x 5 h
Pieces per m²	pcs	4
Weight per piece	kg/pcs	1,593
Bearing capacity	t/m²	> 320
Colour		green/brown/white
Pallet dimensions	cm	100 x 120 x 220 h
Pallet m²	m²/PAL	53
Pallet pieces	pcs/PAL	212
Pallet weight	kg/PAL	346

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

INSTALLATION

1. PERMEABLE LAYER – Consisting of granular, finely crushed stone 3-10 mm. This layer, which obviously completes the division of loads, has the double function of draining excess meteoric water and simultaneously favouring root growth towards the lower layer. For this reason, thickness must amount to about 5/7 cm, and can be increased for rainy areas characterised by heavy soil with strong water retention.

2. SAND BED – This finishing layer, consisting of siliceous sand, about 3 cm thick, levels the surface on which PRATOPRATICO^® modules are placed and favours root growth in the sub-layer contained in the grating below.

3. LAYING OF PRATOPRATICO^® – The consecutive development of the modular surface will take place in a simple and rapid manner according to the modalities and patterns described in the paragraph “ASSEMBLY OF PRATOPRATICO^®” Please refer to said paragraph for details.

4. FILLING OF THE PRATOPRATICO^® CELLS – Placing of the cultivable sub-layer which will act as a base for the sowing components, composed of a mixture of siliceous sand, vegetable terrain, peat and inert volcanic material (pumice), enriched with slow-release fertilizer. The filling process must partially saturate the cells, the level reaching to 1cm below the flooring’s upper border.

5. SOWING – Must be carried out immediately after laying the cultivable sublayer (3rd phase) in order to avoid excessive compactness. The seeds must be selected according to the nature of the site (pay attention to the altimetric quota) and the climate. In any case the grass seeds must be resistant to trampling. You are advised to use a blend composed of Lolium Perenne, Poa Pratensis,Festuca Arundinacea in the proportions and varieties suitable to each single case. Numerous packages with similar mixes, suitable for every need are easily found on sale. For excellent sowing, spread the seeds uniformly through passages crossing at right angles both manually and with the aid of mechanical means.

6. DELIMITING OF PARKING AREAS with the aid of signs Made in such a way so they can be inserted in any point of the flooring, they are available in the 3 classic colours provided by
the Highway Code: (free parking areas), yellow (reserved parking spaces), for ex. parking spaces reserved for invalids.

INSTALLATION

DRIVEWAY

The first example in the graph regards the most common case, that of creating a grassy path. The flooring must be developed in such a way so as to face the vehicle transit with the lower surface: thin ribs facing upwards in direct contact with the vehicle wheels.

PHASES:
1. Face all the gratings in the same way, with the female hook in the upper left-hand corner;
2. The first grating is placed in the upper left-hand corner of the surface in need of flooring;
3. Proceed with the assembly of the various gratings according to the direction that is normally used for writing: from left to right and downward from above.

WALKWAY

Otherwise, where you intend to create a walkway and/or a grassy external area (barbeque area, a base for a gazebo, a small path, a pool border, etc…), place the single Pratopratico® gratings with the thin ribs in contact with the bottom, so as to provide the pedestrian with a base that offers the best support.

PHASES:
1. Face all the gratings in the same way, with the female hook in the upper left-hand corner;
2. Place the first component in the lower right-hand corner;
3. Proceed with the assembly of the various gratings in the opposite direction to that normally used for writing: from right to left and upward from below.

ACCESSORIES

• Signalling elements (white, blue, yellow) to delimit parking and transit areas;
These are available in the catalogue in the classic 3 colours provided by the Highway Code: white (free parking area), yellow (reserved parking area, for ex. parking spaces reserved for invalids) and blue.
It is possible to manufacture colours ad hoc on request.