Marino Cell serves as a shallow-depth storage system in Sidney, British Columbia, helping this multi-family redevelopment meet stormwater targets without sacrificing space
Number of Marino Cells: 96
Stormwater Capacity: 1,300 gallons (4.9 cubic meters)
Installation Date: Spring 2025
Contractor: Cat’s Eye Contracting
Like many urban communities around the world, Sidney, British Columbia, is experiencing increased pressure to densify. In this case, a single-family home was converted into a multi-unit residential complex, increasing the impervious surface and consequently increased the volume of runoff generated on site. Local stormwater regulations required the new development to match pre-development flow rates, despite producing significantly more hardscape. The design team needed a solution that could fit in limited space, be installed at shallow depth, manage rooftop runoff effectively, and provide storage without major excavation. Marino Cell offered the ideal balance of performance, constructability, and site responsiveness.
Before and after. Old single-family property is becoming multi-family complex.
New four-family development.
The entire storage chamber — 96 Marino Cells — was installed in a narrow two-wide strip along the side of the new building. This area, developed before the building itself, will be partially covered by hardscape patio and partially by open green space, showcasing Marino Cell’s adaptability to different surface treatments. Unlike large cisterns or vaults, the modular system doesn’t require a massive contiguous footprint; it simply fits where it can, making it a natural choice for urban infill projects with tight space and competing priorities. Whether under pavement or plantings, Marino Cell delivers performance without dictating surface design.
Rooftop stormwater is routed into a nearby concrete barrel, which acts as a flow regulator. When water reaches a certain level inside the barrel, it drains into the adjacent Marino Cell chamber for storage. The water then infiltrates into the aggregate and soil beneath, eliminating most of this volume from ever reaching the storm system (and recharging area groundwater in the process). During heavy storm events, water first enters the Marino Cell chamber — and only when this fills to capacity does runoff begin to drain to the storm system.
This Marino Cell chamber is capable of holding approximately 1,300 gallons (4.9 cubic meters) of stormwater — slightly more than the 4.6 cubic meters required by local code. This precise, right-sized approach allowed the design team to meet regulatory demands without over-engineering the system or sacrificing valuable real estate: project planners can both specify the appropriate chamber size to meet their needs and design its layout in nearly any configuration to meet site conditions. It’s a compelling model for future infill projects facing similar constraints.
Soil. Stormwater. Sustainable Infrastructure.
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