The new Eataly store, which has opened in Trieste, has eliminated the risk of flooding by means of H.A.B Srl's automatic flood protection barriers.

On 17 January 2017, the new Eataly store opened on Riva Tommaso Gulli 1, Trieste, in the historic Magazzino Vini (wine warehouse). The architectural refurbishment was curated by Studio Archea in Florence, with design by Florentine architect Marco Casamonti.

The automatic Hydro Air Bank anti-flooding systems were chosen in order to provide complete protection of the building and the underground car parks.

This type of flood protection barrier has been used all over Italy since 1997, and it represents a secure, definitive solution to flooding risks. It completely eliminates architectural barriers, and it guarantees a minimal impact both on the environment and on the historic building's architectural quality.

H.A.B. automatic flood barrier systems operate in a completely automatic mode, even in the total absence of electric power.

The flood barriers are specifically designed for the location, and are sunk into the flooring. They take up very little space, and are activated by an inflatable lifting (rubberdam) envelope using air or water. Therefore no pollutants are used in these plants.

In this specific instance, five barriers were placed at all the building's pedestrian entrances, with another at the head of the ramp leading down to Eataly's underground car parks, guaranteeing total flood protection for all the basement and ground floor areas of the brand-new "Temple of Italian food and wine excellence."

The reliability of our technology is so high that we have been able to provide protection for entire towns, such as Codigoro, unusual for its conformation.

The area has a high flooding risk, and this made it necessary to provide protection for the town by means of two flood barriers in the form of walls 1.85 metres high, on both sides of the river, Po di Volano, that runs through it. With this sort of structure, the town would undoubtedly have been protected from floods, including those exceptional floods that have occurred occasionally in recent years (Tr200: events that occur on average once every 200 years). Of course, the residents were not happy with the idea of not being able to see the other half of the town, and neither their boats on the river, as a result of a high wall. The Emilia-Romagna regional authorities wanted the flood protection, but also wanted to meet the needs of the local population. The solution was provided by our technology. HAB created a wall that looks like a normal parapet, 1.3 metres high, blending into the setting to perfection. However it is technologically sophisticated: it is an inflatable barrier of the latest generation. In the case of exceptional floods, a hydraulic system installed in the wall raises the top panel made of tropical timber, creating a flood barrier and increasing the wall's total height to 1.9 metres.

In this apartment building, serious flooding was caused by abundant rainfall that reached the basement areas by flowing down the inclined driveway, both during and after refurbishment work. Our automatic barriers provided a definitive solution to the problem.

The installation of our flood barriers, three of which are suitable for pedestrians and two for vehicle transit, provides complete protection from the constant risk of flooding at Ospedale Vecchio (the old hospital), Bergamo, without creating architectural barriers.

The photos show one of our recessed barriers. In this case it was tailor-made to protect the semi-basement floor of a house. It is a hybrid system, in Rubber and Metal: the metal shield is suitable for the transit of vehicles, because it remains at ground level and protects the inflatable structure that lifts the barrier. In the case of flooding, the barrier automatically rises, preventing the entrance of water.