Beacon Hill - Western Michigan Project

Western Michigan Aquacell Project

• Delivered more than 40,000 cubic feet of underground stormwater detention in a compact footprint using an 8-layer modular chamber system.

• Successfully installed during winter conditions, with the North Tank completed in approximately one week despite seasonal construction challenges.

• Modular design enabled geometry adjustments during design development while maintaining required storage capacity.

• Underground storage preserved valuable surface area for buildings, access, parking, and amenities. 

The Problem

A major housing development in Western Michigan required substantial underground stormwater detention capacity while maximizing the amount of usable land available for buildings, access roads, parking, and outdoor amenities. Traditional surface detention would have reduced valuable site area and limited future development flexibility.

The system also needed to accommodate utility connections, access structures, grading constraints, and close proximity to adjacent buildings. The final tank location was positioned approximately nine feet from a building, requiring careful consideration of loading conditions and constructability. Installation would ultimately occur during winter weather conditions, creating additional scheduling and construction challenges. 

The Solution

Collaborating with the contractor and project stakeholders, the Wavin Building Design Services team developed a customized underground detention system utilizing an 8-layer AquaCell SC-8 configuration. The final design was completed in October 2025 and optimized to maximize storage while accommodating site-specific constraints. The completed North Tank provides 40,787 cubic feet of underground storage within an approximately 3,720-square-foot footprint utilizing 3,840 AquaCell modules stacked in an eight-layer arrangement. The design incorporated a geotextile-wrapped system, a 4-inch stone foundation, 12 inches of cover stone, an expanded 18-inch perimeter stone zone for additional storage, and biaxial geogrid reinforcement above the structure. The modular nature of the AquaCell system allowed the original rectangular layout to be modified around site access infrastructure while maintaining the required storage capacity and hydraulic performance.

The project also reflects the close collaboration between Wavin’s internal design team and Entel Group, Wavin’s manufacturer’s representative, to develop an efficient solution that met the project’s storage, constructability, and schedule requirements. 

The Impact

The completed system demonstrates how large-volume underground detention can provide significant stormwater storage while preserving valuable developable land. By locating detention below grade, the project team maintained surface space for site functionality rather than dedicating that area to traditional stormwater infrastructure.

Construction was successfully completed in February 2026, with the North Tank installation completed in approximately one week despite snow-covered site conditions. The project highlights the scalability, adaptability, and construction efficiency of modular underground detention systems and serves as the first planned installation within a broader multi-tank development program. 

The team at Entel Group.