Articles & Guides
Stormwater management guides, blue roof technology explainers, and engineering references.
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Rainwater Flood Risk: What Property Insurers Should Know About Active Roof Detention
Around 20% of global natural-disaster damage comes from rainwater flooding, and the average commercial-building event costs about $2 million. Active roof detention cuts the risk at the source - and documents every rain event with measured data for underwriting and claims settlement.
GuideThe Active Blue Roof: Smart Runoff Management on Every Existing Drain
Storms designed as once-a-century events now arrive once a decade, and the standard solutions — infiltration wells, underground reservoirs, passive blue roofs — are unmanaged and unmeasured. Here is how a small add-on, installed on any existing roof drain in minutes, turns the roof into active stormwater infrastructure.
Case StudyInside the Technion Blue-Green Roof Pilot: Four Plots, a Shallow Reservoir, and Irrigation Driven by Water Level
At the Technion's National Building Research Institute, SmartFlow operates a blue-green roof research site: four vegetated plots over a shallow water reservoir, with SmartFlow regulating the outlet flow and water level — and irrigation running automatically from stored rainwater, by water level, through the site's existing irrigation computer, with on-site meteorological data in the loop.
Israel's N12 Covers the Sponge-City Shift — and the Neighborhood Where SmartFlow Roofs Talk to Each Other
Israel's leading news outlet N12 published an in-depth feature on the sponge-city revolution — with the Akko pilot at its center: 14 buildings whose smart roof valves coordinate their release timing so the municipal drainage network is never overloaded. "The roof becomes an active reservoir."
Retrofit Without Roof Modification: How SmartFlow Turns Any Flat Roof Into an Active Stormwater Asset
Most active blue-green roof systems require an added buffer or storage layer built into the roof — which limits them to new construction. SmartFlow installs on the existing roof outlet with no added layer, making active stormwater control retrofit-viable on existing buildings. Field evidence: a 14-building neighborhood deployment in Akko and a documented 27 mm rain event at Sanhedrin 13.
Dynamic Performance of Blue and Green Roofs: What a Full-Season Field Study Reveals
A two-winter field study by the Volcani Center and Azrieli College of Engineering measured real rooftop runoff. The finding: blue and green roofs delay and cut runoff when dry, but once saturated their delay collapses to near zero. The decisive variable is not storage size, but whether that storage is empty when the next wave arrives.
How Buildings Can Help Cities Manage Stormwater
Urbanisation concentrates impervious surfaces and dramatically amplifies stormwater runoff. Buildings — particularly their rooftops — represent one of the largest contributors to this problem, but also one of the most accessible points for intervention. This article examines how rooftop retention systems, blue roof technology, and smart monitoring platforms are transforming buildings from passive runoff generators into active stormwater management assets.
Engineering PrinciplesControlled Roof Drainage Engineering Principles
Controlled roof drainage is a systems engineering discipline that deliberately manages the rate and timing of stormwater discharge from flat and low-slope roofs. This guide covers the hydraulic fundamentals, flow control devices, overflow safety provisions, and monitoring technologies that define a well-engineered rooftop retention system.
Technology ComparisonStormwater Management Software
As cities grow denser and rainfall patterns intensify, managing stormwater with spreadsheets and manual inspections is no longer viable. Digital monitoring platforms are emerging as essential tools for engineers, facility managers, and municipalities seeking real-time visibility into how their drainage systems perform under pressure.
ArticleStormwater Management Platforms
This article compares the major approaches to building-level stormwater management — from passive drainage to smart monitoring and control platforms — and examines their respective strengths and limitations.
Case StudyStormwater Retention Case Study
This case study examines a rooftop stormwater retention installation on a multi-building commercial site — covering the stormwater challenge, the monitoring system deployed, and the observed performance results.
Engineering GuideControlled Roof Drainage Design
Controlled roof drainage systems actively manage the rate at which rainwater leaves a rooftop. This guide covers the hydraulic principles, design calculations, safety provisions, and monitoring systems involved in designing an effective controlled drainage installation.
ArticleUrban Flood Prevention
Urban flooding is driven by the interaction between increasing rainfall intensity and expanding impervious surfaces. This article examines the infrastructure approaches used to prevent urban flooding — from conventional pipe networks to distributed smart systems.
ArticleBlue Roof Technology
Blue roofs are engineered rooftop systems that temporarily detain rainwater and release it at a controlled rate. This article covers how blue roof systems work, what design factors matter, and how digital monitoring extends their capability.
About the PlatformWhat is SmartFlow?
SmartFlow is a building-level stormwater management platform. It combines rooftop sensors, motorised release valves, and cloud-based adaptive control logic to monitor, retain, and release rainwater from building rooftops on a controlled schedule — reducing peak runoff, protecting drainage infrastructure, and providing continuous performance data.
ArticleStormwater Management Systems for Buildings
Buildings are major contributors to urban stormwater runoff. This article examines the systems available to manage rainwater at the building level — their capabilities, limitations, and role in urban water management.
GuideStormwater Management for Urban Buildings
Urban development replaces permeable ground with impervious surfaces — rooftops, roads, and car parks — dramatically increasing the volume and velocity of stormwater runoff. This guide covers the engineering principles, building-level systems, and digital technologies used to manage stormwater at the point of origin.
Stormwater ManagementStormwater Management for Urban Buildings
Urban flooding is intensifying as cities grow denser and climate patterns shift. Traditional drainage was designed for a different era. SmartFlow provides a new approach: intelligent, building-level stormwater management that monitors conditions, retains water on the rooftop, and releases it on a controlled schedule — reducing peak runoff and protecting downstream infrastructure.
Ready to deploy controlled stormwater management?
Talk to our engineering team about your building, site, or portfolio. We will assess fit and provide a clear picture of what deployment involves.