New Urban Standard

What New Urban Standard does

New Urban Standard B.V. is a privately held Dutch limited company founded around 2000 and headquartered in Amsterdam, specializing in climate-adaptive urban water management and green infrastructure. The company distributes and integrates Permavoid modular geocellular water management systems, made from recycled polypropylene, across the Benelux region. Its core technology combines hollow structural units (achieving 92-95% volumetric void ratio) with a patented capillary irrigation system using stone wool cones that transport water passively from storage to plant roots without pumps or energy input. Complementary product lines include waterproof membranes (PermaFlex 700), hydrophilic textiles (PermaTex Cap), oil-separating geotextiles (PermaFilter), specialized substrates for tree growth and rooftop applications, grass-reinforcement tiles, and the BlueLay shockpad developed with Lapinus (ROCKWOOL) for sports fields.

The company operates a project-based enterprise sales model, working directly with Dutch and Belgian municipalities, construction companies, housing corporations, and developers on bespoke water management installations including blue-green roofs, sports fields, urban tree growing systems, and civil infrastructure. Revenue is generated through hardware sales of Permavoid units and accessories plus consulting and advisory services tied to project specifications; pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. The customer base is dominated by municipal governments, with documented projects across Amsterdam, Heerlen, Roermond, Almere, Leiden, and Antwerp, supplemented by a residential channel via partnership with Rainup. New Urban Standard maintains research collaborations with KWR Water Research Institute, Wageningen University, and TKI Water en Maritime to validate performance claims, and operates with a small team of 4 named members plus Belgium-based field coverage. No external funding rounds, acquisitions, or public listing are evidenced.

Name

New Urban Standard

Legal name

New Urban Standard B.V.

Website

https://newurbanstandard.nl

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

New Urban Standard distributes Permavoid modular geocellular water management systems across the Benelux, selling capillary-irrigation-based blue-green roof, urban tree, sports field, and civil infrastructure solutions to municipalities, construction firms, and developers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Urban Water Management Systems

NAICS

Water, Sewage and Other Systems (2213), Water Supply and Irrigation Systems (22131), Landscape Architectural Services (541320)

SIC

Water, Sewer, Pipeline, Comm & Power Line Construction (1623), Sanitary Services (4950)

akta.pro primary industry

Urban Flood Resilience & Adaptation Planning (Climate, Nature-Based Solutions) (EUANAEAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Stormwater & Drainage Infrastructure Construction (Sewer, Detention, Outfalls) (IMAFAGAF), Public Works & Municipal Infrastructure (Streets, Stormwater, Facilities) (BPAIACAF), Drainage & Field Water Management (Tile Drainage, Ditches, Water Table Control) (AFAAACAJ)

Keywords

• Urban water management
• Stormwater management systems
• Green roof infrastructure
• Geocellular drainage units
• Climate-adaptive infrastructure

Headquarters

HQ city

Amsterdam

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Water Management Systems and Products: New Urban Standard generates revenue through the sale of Permavoid water management systems, including modular units, capillary irrigation components, drainage products, substrates, and accessories. They provide complete system solutions for urban water management projects including multifunctional roofs, sports fields, urban trees, and civil infrastructure. The company acts as official distributor for Permavoid products in the Benelux region.
2. Consulting and Advisory Services: Project-specific consulting and advisory services for water management solutions, providing customized proposals and technical guidance for municipal and construction projects.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

New Urban Standard supplies Permavoid modular geocellular water management systems, capillary irrigation components, geotextiles, waterproof membranes, and substrates for climate-adaptive urban green infrastructure projects. Solutions are delivered as integrated systems for blue-green roofs, water-storing sports fields, urban tree growing places, civil infrastructure (parking, cycle paths), and stormwater management. The company also provides project-specific consulting, design advisory, and technical support, serving as the official Permavoid distributor in the Benelux.

Product overview

New Urban Standard offers a comprehensive portfolio of Permavoid-based modular water management and green infrastructure systems for urban environments. The core product line consists of geocellular units (Permavoid 85S, 85S Ultra Light, 170S, 170S Ultra Light, 85, 150, MD, and Reservoir) made from recycled polypropylene that function as lightweight foundation replacements enabling water storage, capillary irrigation, and stormwater management. These units are complemented by accessory components including PermaTie connectors, ShearConnector pins, PermaLock attachment points, and capillary cylinders for vertical water transport. The product ecosystem includes geotextiles (PermaTex 300, PermaTex Cap, PermaFilter), waterproof membranes (PermaFlex 700), and sealing tapes (PermaTape). Substrate offerings include specialized tree sands (Bomenzand 300, 500), lava granulate (Boomgranulaat Lava 30-60+), and rooftop substrates. Grass reinforcement tiles (FlowBlock, SlimBlock) and drainage solutions (Cordrain) round out the system. The company also offers integrated solution systems like the BlueLay shockpad, Rainup green roof systems, Smartkolk smart drainage pits, and Treebox HP constructions. All products are designed for capillary irrigation applications enabling natural, energy-free water management for urban trees, green roofs, sports fields, and civil infrastructure.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Permavoid 150 Modular Geocellular Unit Modular interlocking geocellular unit of polypropylene designed as a strong, lightweight shallow foundation replacement with exceptionally high compressive strength and bending resistance, suitable for capillary irrigation systems.
• Permavoid 85 Modular Geocellular Unit Modular interlocking geocellular unit of polypropylene, designed as a strong, lightweight shallow foundation replacement with exceptionally high compressive strength and bending resistance.
• Permavoid 85S Modular Geocellular Unit Modular geocellular unit of recycled polypropylene designed as a strong, lightweight foundation replacement for multifunctional applications, compatible with capillary cylinders for water-sensitive urban designs.
• Permavoid 85S Ultra Light Extra lightweight modular geocellular unit made of recycled polypropylene, suitable for roof applications, designed for water storage and natural capillary irrigation without energy or pumps.
• Permavoid 170S Modular Geocellular Unit Strong, lightweight modular geocellular unit made of recycled polypropylene, designed as shallow foundation replacement with high compressive strength and bending resistance for multifunctional foundation applications.
• Permavoid 170S Ultra Light Extra lightweight modular geocellular unit of recycled polypropylene, highly suitable for roof applications, enabling rainwater retention and reuse with natural capillary plant irrigation.
• Permavoid MD (Medium Duty) Stormwater System Stormwater retention, infiltration or attenuation system with hydrocarbon treatment capability, featuring pollutant-intercepting floating mat that degrades residual oils by absorption and aerobic digestion.
• Permavoid Reservoir Unit Lightweight waterproof reservoir with overflow innovation, designed to capture, temporarily store and reuse water when needed, featuring overflow to next unit and adjustable water level settings.
• Capillary Irrigation System (Capillary Cylinders and Stone-Wool Cones) Patented capillary fiber cones and cylinders made of stone wool that naturally transport water from Permavoid storage units to plant roots without energy, pumps, or maintenance, delivering on-demand irrigation as needed.
• PermaTex Cap Hydrophilic Textile Hydrophilic fiber geotextile suitable for horizontal capillary water transport (minimum 900mm capacity) for plant and surface irrigation in combination with Permavoid capillary cylinders and units.
• PermaFlex 700 Waterproof Membrane Patented polyethylene-reinforced, cross-laminated LDPE waterproof membrane with best weight-to-strength ratio, exceptional tear and puncture resistance while remaining foldable for corners and edges.
• PermaFilter Oil-Separation Textile Filtering textile that captures 0.6 ltr/m2 of oil from rainwater runoff and biologically degrades it over time while maintaining drainage properties, protecting groundwater from oil contamination.
• PermaTex 300 Geotextile Water-permeable protective geotextile for separating underground hollow structures from surrounding material, suitable for water retention and infiltration designs.
• PermaTape Sealing Tape Single-sided adhesive sealing tape with elastic butyl rubber adhesive mass that accommodates expansion differences, providing high-quality sealing of PermaFlex foil.
• PermaTie Connector Accessories Conical polypropylene ties that connect individual Permavoid units tightly together to form a strong plate, ensuring structural integrity of the foundation.
• ShearConnector Stacking Pin Special connection pin for vertically stacking Permavoid units to create larger empty spaces, preventing lateral movement for a stable stack.
• PermaLock Attachment Component Connection component enabling secure attachment of products to Permavoid 85S units, featuring standard 8mm steel thread for mounting fences, solar panel systems, or wooden decks.
• Cordrain Drainage Layer Root-resistant layer with capability to transport water and oxygen vertically, acting as separation wall between growing medium and cables/pipes while protecting infiltration systems.
• FlowBlock Grass Reinforcement Tile 75mm high natural grass reinforcement tile with 90% open surface and drainage channels, allowing natural grass growth while preventing mud and rutting for parking and pathways.
• SlimBlock Grass Reinforcement Tile 50mm high natural grass reinforcement tile with 90% open surface and drainage channels, providing grass strengthening for parking lots and road shoulders.
• Bomenzand 300 Tree Substrate Specialized sand with fiber additives for tree growth medium in urban areas, part of modern growing place systems for regulating water, nutrition, and oxygen supply.
• Bomenzand 500 Tree Substrate Specialized sand with higher load-bearing capacity for tree growing medium in urban areas with additional requirements.
• Boomgranulaat Lava 30-60+ Tree Granulate Tree granulate with humous soil and capillary fibers, achieving 45% pore volume with coarser pores for root development and ability to store 450 liters of water during extreme rainfall.
• Daksubstraat Intensief (Water-Holding Rooftop Substrate) Water-holding rooftop substrate designed for intensive green roof applications.
• Daksubstraat Extensief (Draining Rooftop Substrate) Draining rooftop substrate for extensive green roof applications.
• Daktuingrond Rooftop Garden Soil Lightweight rooftop garden soil with high capillary action, designed for trees on roofs with capillary irrigation systems.
• BlueLay Shockpad Sports-Field System Natural stone-wool shock pad developed with Lapinus (ROCKWOOL) for sports fields, providing water storage, optimal drainage, and adiabatic cooling of artificial grass surfaces.
• Rainup Water-Storing Green Roof System Water-storing green roof system where rainwater is automatically stored in a water-storing layer and made available to sedum planting, with BlueLay technology and root-resistant layer.
• Smartkolk (Smart Pit) Drainage System Smart drainage pit system that filters rainwater from particulate matter and/or de-icing salt before water reaches tree growing places.
• Treebox HP Tree Growing Construction Strongest tree growing construction with concrete load elements and cover plates, providing lifetime maximum stability suitable for heaviest traffic classes with modular construction.
• Project Consulting and Advisory Services Project-specific consulting and advisory services for water management solutions, providing customized proposals and technical guidance for municipal and construction projects.

Quantifiable outcome

• Blue-green roofs achieve 42 liters/m² evaporation during heat waves vs 18 liters/m² for conventional green roofs - 133% improvement
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• PermavoidcoreTechnology or IntegrationNew Urban Standard is the official distributor of Permavoid systems and products in the Benelux region. Permavoid provides the core geocellular water management technology including modular units, capillary irrigation components, and related accessories that form the foundation of New Urban Standard's solutions.
• KWR Water Research InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKWR is a key research partner for water cycle research and scientific validation of blue-green solutions. They have collaborated on multiple projects including SmartRoof 2.0 and other TKI projects to provide scientific rigor to performance claims.
• Gemeente AmsterdamcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe municipality of Amsterdam is a key project partner and client, collaborating on multiple innovative water management projects including SmartRoof 2.0, Mannoury, and Kattenburgerstraat to advance climate-adaptive urban development.
• Wageningen UniversiteitcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWageningen University partners on research projects including Urban PhotoSynthesis at Mannoury to study interactions between blue-green roofs, solar panels, and biodiversity in urban environments.
• RainupminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRainup is a partner for residential/homeowner solutions, providing consumer-facing water management products for home gardens, carports, and residential applications that complement New Urban Standard's commercial offerings.
• DutchBlueminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDutchBlue partners on sports field solutions, providing expertise for water management applications in sports and equestrian facilities including at HC Athena Amsterdam.
• TKI Water en MaritimecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTKI Water en Maritime is the Top Consortium for Knowledge and Innovation in water sector, supporting collaborative innovation projects like SmartRoof 2.0 and other public-private partnership initiatives.
• Aedes Real-estatecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAedes Real-estate is a key partner in housing corporation projects and property development, collaborating on sustainable water management solutions in residential building projects like Mannoury.
• ID AgrominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerID Agro partners with New Urban Standard on innovative stall solutions like the High Welfare Floor, combining water management with animal welfare applications.
• DutchBlueminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDutchBlue collaborated with New Urban Standard on the HC Athena hockey field project, providing water storage and cooling solutions for artificial grass fields.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Hydro International: Hydro International provides stormwater management, treatment and flow-control solutions for municipal, highway and development projects. It is directly comparable to NUS on stormwater capture and treatment in urban environments, though its portfolio emphasizes hydrodynamic separation rather than capillary irrigation.
• Bauder: Bauder is a major European manufacturer of green-roof, blue-roof and waterproofing systems for commercial and residential buildings. It directly competes with New Urban Standard on multifunctional blue-green roofs and is typically specified alongside or instead of Permavoid-based systems on municipal and developer tenders.
• Nophadrain: Nophadrain is a Dutch-based manufacturer of drainage systems, root barriers and green-roof components, including capillary and water-retention mats. It is closely comparable to New Urban Standard's capillary irrigation and green-roof systems and competes directly on Benelux-based projects.
• GreenBlue Urban: GreenBlue Urban (and related DeepRoot entities) supply structural soil, tree pit and urban tree planting systems that integrate water management and structural support — the same use case as NUS's Bomenzand substrates and Treebox HP solutions for stadsbomen (urban trees).
• ACO Drainage Systems: ACO is a major European manufacturer of drainage, stormwater management and surface water systems for civil, commercial and residential applications. It is directly comparable to New Urban Standard because both sell modular water-management hardware into municipal and construction projects, although ACO's portfolio is much broader and not specifically focused on capillary irrigation.
• Optigrün international: Optigrün is one of Europe's leading green-roof system suppliers, providing retention, drainage and irrigation components for extensive and intensive green roofs. It is directly comparable to New Urban Standard's blue-green roof offering, addressing the same municipal and developer demand for multifunctional rooftop water management.
• Hauraton: Hauraton is a German drainage specialist supplying channels, stormwater management and retention/detention systems to municipal, civil and landscaping projects. It is directly comparable because it competes for the same municipal and construction-company buyers on stormwater and surface-water management, though without NUS's capillary irrigation angle.
• ZinCo GmbH: ZinCo is a long-established German manufacturer of green-roof and stormwater-retention systems, including drainage elements, protection mats and irrigation components. It is comparable to NUS on blue-green roofs, urban tree substrates and storm-water storage, and competes for the same European public-sector and developer projects.

Broad incumbents

• Pipelife: Pipelife (Wienerberger) is a large European provider of water, sewer and stormwater pipe and infrastructure systems. It overlaps with NUS in the broader urban water infrastructure category but is a broad incumbent rather than a specialist in capillary irrigation or green-roof blue-green solutions.
• Wavin: Wavin (Orbia) is a large Dutch-rooted supplier of water, sewer, stormwater and climate-resilience infrastructure solutions across Europe. It overlaps with New Urban Standard on urban stormwater capture and distribution but operates at far greater scale and across many product categories beyond Permavoid-style geocellular systems.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tree-ground-solutions
• Instagraminstagram.com/newurbanstandard

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 New Urban Standard