Porous Lane

What Porous Lane does

Porous Lane is an Australian specialty construction materials company that develops and installs semi-flexible permeable pavement made from up to 60% recycled Australian tyre aggregate, bluestone, and a proprietary engineered polyurethane binder. The company is the exclusive licensee of the permeable pavement technology developed at the University of Melbourne, and its formulation achieves 8-10x the infiltration rate of the ASCE standard benchmark (3-4 cm/second) while maintaining structural flexibility that resists cracking from tree root movement. The product is adapted across multiple application verticals including footpaths, car parks, tree surrounds, bike lanes, driveways, golf cart paths, nature strips, and an Australian-first permeable kerb and channel system, with measurable environmental benefits (95% nitrate removal, 89% heavy metals removal, 3-4°C surface temperature reduction, 30,000+ tyres diverted from landfill cumulatively).

The company operates a multi-channel go-to-market: direct enterprise sales to Australian local councils, state government agencies, and developers through offices in Melbourne (HQ), Sydney, and Brisbane; an exclusive New Zealand distributor (Watersmart); an accredited installer network for civil contractors; and a direct-to-consumer channel for residential driveways. Revenue is generated through one-time product sales (by application and thickness), installation services performed by Porous Lane's dedicated team (120 m²/day capacity), and design/specifier services. Pricing is quote-based and positioned at a premium to asphalt or concrete on an upfront basis, but cost-competitive on a whole-of-life basis supported by documented outcomes such as $30,000 in avoided stormwater upgrade costs per project.

Porous Lane is a privately held company co-founded by Dr. Amir Mehdizadeh (Managing Director) and Associate Prof. Mahdi Disfani (R&D), led by CEO Bradley Camgoz Posselt with Ivan Ross as Market Development Director. The company has secured grants from the Australian Research Council, Sustainability Victoria, and Tyre Stewardship Australia, and has been recognized through Premier's Sustainability Awards 2023, IPWEA Victoria Excellence in Engineering 2025, Water New Zealand Innovation Award 2025, and the AFR Sustainability Leaders 2025.

Name

Porous Lane

Legal name

Porous Lane

Website

https://porouslane.com.au

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Porous Lane is an Australian specialty construction materials company that develops and installs semi-flexible permeable pavement made from recycled tyre aggregate under an exclusive University of Melbourne license, serving Australian local councils, state government, developers, and homeowners across footpath, car park, tree surround, and stormwater management applications.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Permeable Pavement Systems

NAICS

Asphalt Paving Mixture and Block Manufacturing (324121)

SIC

Asphalt Paving & Roofing Materials (2950)

akta.pro primary industry

Pavers & Permeable Paving Blocks (Clay/Concrete) (IMADABAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Driveway Hardscaping (Pavers, Gravel, Permeable Systems) (HSAIACAD), Asphalt Mixing & Paving Materials (Hot/Warm/Cold Mix, RAP/RAS Blends) (EUALAKAG)

Keywords

• Permeable pavement systems
• Recycled tyre aggregate
• Stormwater management
• Sustainable infrastructure materials
• Tree protection pavements

Headquarters

HQ city

Melbourne

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Permeable Pavement Product Sales: Porous Lane sells permeable pavement material made from recycled tyres. The material is mixed on site and installed by their dedicated team or by accredited civil contractors. Pricing varies by application and corresponding thickness, with upfront costs typically higher than asphalt or concrete but more cost-effective over whole-of-life.
2. Installation Services: Porous Lane has a dedicated team for installations that can install at a rate of 120 m2 per day. Installation is included as part of the product offering for many projects.
3. Design Services: Porous Lane provides input into design to help achieve the most cost-effective outcome for projects. Design services are offered to specifiers and project teams.
4. Permeable Kerb and Channel System: Porous Lane's Australian-first permeable kerb and channel system, utilizing the same technology as their permeable pavement. Demonstrated to infiltrate 80% of stormwater volumes based on University of Melbourne studies.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Porous Lane manufactures and installs semi-flexible permeable pavement made from up to 60% Australian recycled tyre material, bluestone, and a proprietary engineered polyurethane binder, exclusively licensed from the University of Melbourne. The company sells the pavement material across applications including footpaths, car parks, tree surrounds, driveways, bike lanes, nature strips, golf cart paths, and an Australian-first permeable kerb and channel system. Complementary offerings include on-site installation services, project design input, and an accredited installer training program.

Product overview

Porous Lane offers a single core technology platform: semi-flexible permeable pavement made from up to 60% recycled Australian tyre material, bluestone, and proprietary polyurethane binder. This unified material technology is adapted across multiple application verticals including permeable footpaths, car parks, tree surrounds, bike lanes/shared paths, driveways, golf cart paths, nature strips, and a permeable kerb and channel system (Australian-first innovation). The company also provides complementary design services and an installer training/accreditation program. The product portfolio is unified around stormwater management, tree protection, and circular economy sustainability.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Porous Lane Permeable Pavement Semi-flexible permeable pavement made from up to 60% Australian recycled tyre material, bluestone, and proprietary engineered polyurethane binder. Cold-laid, mixed on site, and engineered to be 8-10x more permeable than the ASCE guideline (3-4cm per second infiltration) with a 25-year design life. Used for councils, developers, civil contractors, and homeowners across footpaths, car parks, driveways, tree surrounds, and other infrastructure applications.
• Permeable Kerb and Channel System Australian-first permeable kerb and channel system built on the same Porous Lane technology as the permeable pavement. Designed to fix lifted kerbs caused by tree root heaves at lower cost than concrete reinstatements, infiltrating approximately 80% of stormwater volumes directly into the nature strip without restoring channel levels or connecting to pits. Demonstrated in a University of Melbourne study at C.B. Smith Reserve, Fawkner, VIC.
• Permeable Footpaths Semi-flexible permeable footpaths that prevent cracking and trip hazards from tree root movement while allowing stormwater infiltration and passive irrigation to nearby trees. Used in Tree Protection Zones (TPZs) and DDA-compliant accessible paths. Installed by councils including City of Hobsons Bay, City of Glen Eira, and ACT Government.
• Permeable Car Parks Permeable car park surfaces that capture and harvest stormwater to prevent runoff reaching waterways, providing 9.6m3 detention capacity in example installations and passive irrigation to adjacent garden beds. Uses approximately 3 Australian waste tyres per square metre of pavement and runs 3-4 degrees cooler than surrounding impermeable surfaces. Recognised with IPWEA Victoria's 2025 Excellence in Engineering Award.
• Permeable Tree Surrounds Permeable surface for tree pits (treepits) designed to ensure high water infiltration to tree roots for passive irrigation, accelerated tree establishment, and crack resistance from tree root movement. Used by City of Sydney (150+ treepits, 350+ sqm) and City of Yarra (80sqm), where City of Yarra recorded 3x greater tree growth than control trees.
• Permeable Bike Lanes & Shared Paths Permeable shared pathways and bike lanes that prevent ponding after rain and increase site permeability through tree protection zones. Installed by City of Melbourne (400sqm in Port Melbourne) and City of Adelaide (550sqm alongside Adelaide gardens through Tree Protection Zones).
• Permeable Driveways Permeable residential and commercial driveways that capture and harvest stormwater, reduce runoff, and maintain site permeability requirements. One client installation avoided $30,000 in stormwater upgrade costs by maintaining higher site permeability.
• Permeable Golf Cart Paths Permeable paths for golf cart and pedestrian use that prevent ponding and allow stormwater infiltration to the groundwater table. Used by Freeway Golf Course in Balwyn North VIC (830sqm), where the path remained permeable and crack-free for 12 months.
• Permeable Nature Strips Permeable nature strip surfaces providing very high permeability for tree root irrigation, passive irrigation savings, and crack resistance from tree root movement. Installed by City of Boroondara in Ashburton, VIC for stormwater runoff reduction, passive irrigation, and tree health.
• Design Services Design input services offered to specifiers and project teams to help achieve the most cost-effective outcomes for Porous Lane installations, including pavement thickness specification and application suitability.
• Installer Training and Accreditation Program Accreditation program that trains and certifies civil contractors to install Porous Lane permeable pavement products. Accredited installers such as Parkinson Group are authorised to offer Porous Lane installation services to their clients.
• Permeable Pavement Installation Services On-site installation services delivered by Porous Lane's dedicated team at a throughput of 120 m2 per day, included as part of the product offering for many projects.

Quantifiable outcome

• 8-10x higher permeability than ASCE standard (3-4cm per second infiltration rate)
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• John Holland GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023John Holland Group partnered with University of Melbourne and Porous Lane for the trial of the permeable kerb and channel system in 2023. Prof. Mahdi Disfani and Fiona Bowie discussed the partnership that led to this Australian-first trial.
• University of MelbournecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPorous Lane was founded on technology developed at the University of Melbourne. The company is the exclusive licensee of the permeable pavement technology developed by researchers including Associate Prof. Mahdi Disfani and Dr. Amir Mehdizadeh. The R&D partnership continues with ongoing testing and optimization of the product.
• Tyre Stewardship AustraliacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPorous Lane sources recycled tyre aggregate from Tyre Stewardship Australia accredited processing facilities. TSA is a TSA circular economy collaborator. Chemistry of tyre aggregate is controlled to ensure consistent performance across all installations.
• WatersmartcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorExclusive New Zealand distributor for Porous Lane products. Located at 74 Patiki Road, Avondale Auckland NZ. Handles all sales and distribution of Porous Lane permeable pavement in the New Zealand market.
• Infrastructure Sustainability CouncilminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPorous Lane is a member of the Infrastructure Sustainability Council and listed on the iSupply Directory. The IS Rating Scheme evaluates economic, social, and environmental performance of infrastructure, and Porous Lane can contribute to sustainability ratings for projects.
• Parkinson GroupminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCivil contractor that completed Porous Lane's first installer training session as part of the accreditation program.
• ArchifyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPorous Lane offers formal CPD (Continuing Professional Development) for designers through Archify, an architecture and design platform.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Broad incumbents

• Hanson Australia (Heidelberg Materials): Major Australian concrete, aggregates, and cement producer supplying infrastructure and construction markets. Comparable as a large incumbent paving materials supplier competing for the same council and developer specification slots.
• Wavin (Orbia): Global supplier of water management, drainage, and stormwater solutions including permeable surface systems. Comparable to Porous Lane in stormwater and permeable infrastructure, though operating at much greater scale with broader product portfolio.
• Hydro International: Global stormwater treatment and management solutions provider offering a broader product portfolio including filtration, separators, and permeable surfaces. Comparable to Porous Lane as a stormwater-focused infrastructure supplier, though at much larger scale and broader scope.
• Boral Limited: Australia's largest integrated construction materials and building products company, producing asphalt, concrete, and aggregates. Comparable as a competing paving materials supplier to Australian councils and developers, with much broader product portfolio and scale.
• Fulton Hogan: Trans-Tasman infrastructure contractor producing and laying asphalt, concrete, and aggregates across AU/NZ. Comparable as both a competing paving materials supplier and a potential channel partner/installer for Porous Lane products in the same markets.

Others

• Geofabrics Australasia: Australian geosynthetics manufacturer and supplier serving civil engineering and environmental applications including drainage and soil stabilisation. Comparable as a complementary infrastructure supplier to the same council and civil contractor customer base, though focused on geosynthetic materials rather than bound permeable pavements.

Emerging players

• CarbonCure Technologies: Canadian sustainable concrete technology company injecting recycled CO2 into concrete mixes. Comparable to Porous Lane as a sustainability-focused construction materials innovator with a similar playbook of academic R&D partnerships and ESG-driven value proposition.

Direct peers

• Permavoid: UK-based manufacturer of plastic-based permeable paving and stormwater management systems. Directly comparable to Porous Lane in the niche of high-performance permeable pavement products serving urban infrastructure and stormwater applications.
• Atlantis Corporation: Australian manufacturer of stormwater management and permeable pavement systems using recycled plastic modular products. Direct peer in the AU/NZ sustainable permeable paving category, serving similar council and developer customers.
• ACO Group: Global drainage and surface water management specialist offering permeable pavers, channel drainage, and stormwater treatment products. Closely comparable to Porous Lane in serving council and developer customers with integrated permeable surface and kerb/channel solutions.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/porouslane

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Porous Lane