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10 September 2024 | Case story

Welcome back nature

In today’s urbanised society, which sometimes resembles a concrete jungle, people are increasingly clamouring for a more environmentally friendly approach to urban planning. Removing concrete and replacing it with innovative grass pavers offers a sustainable and aesthetic alternative in the quest for a greener future.

In the rapidly urbanising world, people are becoming increasingly aware of the impact of traditional paving on the environment and their habitat. A new generation of architects, engineers, and urban planners is now looking for solutions to these challenges, focusing on sustainability and ecological integration. The emergence of innovative grass pavers, which are spearheading an unnoticed technological revolution underfoot, is just one of many exciting developments. Belgian family business Cobefa is a major player in the market for alternative paving solutions.

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Avoiding flooding

“If we want urban development to be more sustainable and ecological, we need to start by removing paving,” says Jeroen Decock, CEO of Cobefa (est. 1969). “That is why we developed and launched our new Deer brand last year. We started with the idea of traditional grass concrete blocks or grass grids to create functional and aesthetic grass pavers. This is our solution to the issue many cities face when it comes to greening and removing pavement, striking a balance between the need for paving and preserving green spaces. Unlike traditional pavements such as asphalt or concrete, grass pavers allow water to penetrate the soil, reducing the risk of flooding, contributing to sustainable water management, and boosting the health of the surrounding greenery.”

Innovative architecture

“It all started with the realisation that the existing greening solutions were largely functional, lacking inspiration or aesthetic value,” Jeroen explains. “As a renowned concrete manufacturer, we set out to devise an alternative within Cobefa with our designer Benjamin Van Geem. Our Deer product range, which has grass pavers in four timeless patterns and colours (urban grey, terracotta, anthracite, and green), provides a high-quality solution to this issue. Clean brutalist shapes, minimalist designs, a subtle, nuanced wave pattern... Each design was inspired by elements from international architecture. The Deer Grids thus offer a suitable design for every concept with endless mix-and-match options. Moreover, they are unique in the market due to their rock-solid reinforced structure and larger dimensions. Our grass pavers weigh in at 200 kg each. The reinforcement minimises local pressure on foundations compared with conventional pavers. The force is distributed much more uniformly, and they also shift less quickly.”

Sustainability first

Removing pavement and replacing it with grass pavers goes one step further, however, coupling functionality with aesthetics for a seamless and harmonious integration of greenery in urban settings. The grass growing between the openings creates a natural look, softening the hardness of traditional paving. “What’s more, our grass pavers can be adapted to different styles, adding a creative element to landscaping designs,” Jeroen explains. “Besides the classic infill with grass, there are many other exciting alternatives, such as grass-clover, ornamental gravel, or artificial grass. The result is more flexibility and the opportunity to create unique designs for walkways, driveways, car parks, and other paved surfaces.”

People are increasingly clamouring for a greener future, more attention to nature, and improved water management, continually inspiring Deer to keep innovating. “We expanded our initial Grids product range with the Organic and Industrial lines to meet different architectural and industrial needs. The Organics line features two unique organic shapes for more design freedom in creative projects. The Industrial line, with slabs measuring 2.5 x 1 metre that are 14 cm thick and super-reinforced, was designed for industrial applications such as business parks with freight traffic. Our aim is to make the production of these grass pavers even more ecological in the long run, using recycled raw materials and renewable energy sources,” says Jeroen.

“We want to strike a healthy balance between paving and nature and contribute to helping biodiversity in an urban setting. For every ten square metres of Deer grass pavers we sell, Cobefa also plants a tree through Go Forest to boost the natural regeneration of our ecosystem. Deer wants to position itself as a brand that does more than just produce grass pavers. Our intention is to make a clear statement: Welcome back, Nature.”

“People are increasingly clamouring for a greener future, more attention to nature, and improved water management, continually inspiring Deer to keep innovating.”

About NOA:

NOA outdoor living is an experience park for outdoor design in Kruisem. In the theme gardens, you can find inspiration to decorate your garden. These gardens combine architecture, landscape, and interior, and welcome architects, landscape architects, designers, and contractors as well as private prospects. In this inspiration park, you will find luxurious garden furniture and designs by more than 30 high-end partners, who are happy to advise you as you bring your dream garden to life. Moreover, the park is the perfect professional networking location; the conference rooms, covered patio, spacious showroom, and plaza of NOA outdoor living are the ideal setting for your conference, product presentation, or product launch.


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