Concrete – Is permeable concrete suitable for a houses foundations

concreteconstruction

I'm curious if using permeable or pervious concrete for all or part of a houses foundations would provide excellent flood protection? Would it be strong enough to support a house and if not could it be used in conjunction with other construction material or normal concrete to achieve this aim? Thank you!

Best Answer

If you want to just let floodwater flow through, use a post-type foundation with either no walls or properly designed lightweight breakaway walls that will not impede water flow - plenty of examples of this in new construction in hurricane-prone areas. Park cars or other incidental storage under the house, let water flow right through when it comes in large quantities. Get it professionally designed so it actually works when the water comes.

Raised post foundation

I can't see that pervious concrete would have any benefit - if a mass of floodwater strikes it, it acts like a solid wall, with predictable (bad) results. For less massive water flows, it leaks. It's primarily of interest/use for reducing runoff from paved areas such as sidewalks or driveways (water can go through, rather than running off the edges in larger amounts.)