Site Profile

Landscape Application:
Planned Community
Size:
134,549 ft2 (12,500 m²)
Temperature Range:
40°F to 83°F (4°C to 28°C)
Elevation:
39' (12 m)
Innovative Hunter Irrigation Solutions Deliver Significant Water and Cost Savings to Luxury Residential Development in Drought-Prone Area

Torre Vilana is an upscale private residential development located in the northern part of Barcelona, Spain. It was built and is currently managed by Nuñez i Navarro, the largest real estate developer and construction company in Catalonia, Spain.

A key feature of the development is its magnificent gardens. Keeping them looking their best requires a high level of maintenance, yet conserving resources is also of great importance due to the area’s hot and dry summers. Of the total area, grass covers 53% while shrubs grow on 26% of the land. Both are watered using sprinkler irrigation. The remaining 21% of the grounds include seasonal plants, which are watered using drip irrigation.

The Challenge

With a Mediterranean climate that features low rainfall and high temperatures, the Torre Vilana community experiences occasional periods of significant drought. Due to the high water consumption of the development’s irrigation system, the Torre Vilana management contacted local contractor Riego Grandal for a solution that would minimise their environmental impact and reduce their high annual water costs.

The Solution

An audit of the current Torre Vilana irrigation system revealed that two main factors were causing the overuse of water: recurring component breakdowns due to an aging system and mismanagement of irrigation run times and frequencies.

To remedy this, Riegos Grandal replaced the conventional irrigation controller with the 36-station Hunter HCC Controller. This unit allows the irrigation manager to make changes to the watering schedule without visiting the site, saving time and labour. The contractor also installed water-saving Hydrawise™ Software, which enables daily irrigation updates based on local weather conditions to prevent unecessary watering during inclement weather.

Adding a Hunter HC Flow Meter further increased the system’s efficiency and provided an extra layer of landscape protection. When connected to the Hydrawise Platform, this device allows irrigation managers to constantly monitor the system’s water flow rates and consumption. It also detects system faults and sends notifications to site managers, so they can address issues immediately before landscape damage occurs.

The Result

After upgrading their irrigation system with innovative Hunter products, the Torre Vilana development reduced their water consumption by 39.9% and saved over 6 million litres of water in the first year. They also realised an annual cost saving of more than 20,000 euros!

Throughout the project, the picturesque landscape remained healthy and beautiful. The updated Hunter system delivers better irrigation management, climate-specific watering, and rapid fault detection — a winning combination for this lovely private community.