A New Way to Manage Water With Hard Surfaces

Brisbane, Queensland Sep 9, 2026 (Issuewire.com) Brisbane-based concrete and hardscape company Conker has added Hydromedia permeable concrete to its construction offering, introducing a pavement system designed to allow rainwater to pass directly through the concrete surface.

Conker has become an accredited applicator of Hydromedia and plans to focus initially on larger landscape, recreational, development and public-space applications where permeability can form a useful part of the project’s broader water-management strategy.

Unlike conventional concrete, which generally directs rainfall across the pavement towards surface drainage, Hydromedia contains an interconnected void structure that allows water to pass through the pavement into purpose-designed layers beneath.

For Conker founder Michael Trainor, the significance of the technology isn’t simply a different concrete mix.

It’s the opportunity to think differently about hard surfaces.

Every hard surface we build changes what happens to water when it hits the ground, Michael said.

Traditionally, our job has been to create falls, collect that water and move it somewhere else. Hydromedia gives designers and contractors another option in the right environment, the surface itself can become part of the water-management strategy.

The technology arrives at an interesting time for South East Queensland.

As Brisbane continues to grow, stormwater management, overland flow, flood resilience and Water Sensitive Urban Design are increasingly important considerations for planners, designers, developers and property owners.

Michael cautions, however, against treating permeable pavement as a simple answer to a complicated problem.

Water going through concrete doesn’t mean the water has disappeared, he said.

You still need to understand what’s underneath it, where that water is going, the soil conditions, the surrounding landscape and whether additional drainage or engineering is required.

That’s actually the part we’re most interested in. We don’t see this as just another concrete product. We see the pavement as one component of a much bigger system.

Conker sees potential applications including parklands, pedestrian pathways, cycleways, recreational areas, landscape projects, selected light-traffic parking areas and larger developments.

The company is also interested in exploring Hydromedia as an alternative to loose landscape surfaces such as decomposed granite in applications where greater pavement stability is required without necessarily creating another conventional impermeable surface.

Michael said Conker has deliberately avoided positioning Hydromedia as a replacement for conventional concrete.

We’re not interested in putting permeable concrete everywhere just because we can, he said.

Conventional concrete and conventional drainage are still going to be the right answer for an enormous number of projects.

We’re interested in the places where permeability actually solves something.

That philosophy reflects Conker’s broader approach to hardscape design and construction: understand the outcome first, then determine which materials and construction methods best achieve it.

For Michael, Hydromedia represents another tool in that process.

South East Queensland isn’t going to stop dealing with water, he said.

So the interesting question for us is whether some of the thousands of square metres of hard surfaces we’re building can do more than simply shed it.

If a pathway, landscape area or car park can remain functional while also contributing to how water is managed across the site, we think that’s worth exploring.

About Conker

Conker is a Brisbane-based concrete and hardscape company delivering residential, landscape and architectural concrete projects across Brisbane, the Gold Coast and South East Queensland.

The company works across concrete construction, decorative concrete, concrete coatings, resurfacing, epoxy flooring and hardscape solutions, with a focus on combining practical construction knowledge with considered design and project delivery.

Conker is an accredited Hydromedia permeable concrete applicator and is currently seeking suitable projects across South East Queensland where permeable pavement can contribute to better landscape and water-management outcomes.

Further information:
www.conker.com.au