Participating in the Hydrology & SUDS Lab allows students to build a highly demanded professional profile: specialists in urban drainage, resilience, applied hydrology, and water sustainability.
Hydrology & SUDS Lab
Laboratory of Applied Hydrology, Floods, Urban Drainage, and Nature-Based Solutions of GUTEC University
The Hydrology & SUDS Lab at GUTEC University is a specialist laboratory focused on the analysis, modelling, and design of solutions for one of the most defining challenges of our time: water management across territories and cities, especially in light of the rise in extreme events associated with climate change. This laboratory integrates hydraulic engineering, hydrology, urban drainage, resilient planning, and nature-based solutions to train professionals capable of designing robust, safe, sustainable, and economically defensible systems.
In a global environment where urban flooding, water stress, and the degradation of watercourses and catchments are generating growing impacts on infrastructure, real estate, mobility, and essential services, the laboratory works with a clear vision: water can no longer be treated as a “pipes problem”. It must be managed as a territorial system that connects city, climate, soil, infrastructure, and governance.
This Lab is born with an applied vocation and real transfer to industry: municipalities, utilities, engineering firms, developers, critical infrastructure operators, and organisations that need solid, measurable technical responses aligned with international regulations and standards.
Why this laboratory exists: water is the new critical design factor.
For decades, many cities were designed on the assumption that the climate was stable, that extreme events were exceptional, and that grey infrastructure (collectors, channelisation, pumping stations) was sufficient. Today that assumption has changed. Intense rainfall is becoming more concentrated, impermeable surfaces are increasing, the soil is being sealed, systems are collapsing, and damages are multiplying. At the same time, entire regions are living with longer droughts and water restrictions, which demands reuse, efficiency, and intelligent planning.
The Hydrology & SUDS Lab exists to train experts who can address this new reality with rigour: model, estimate risks, design hybrid solutions (grey + green), justify decisions with data, document projects for permits and financing, and ensure long-term operability and maintenance.
At GUTEC, water resilience is built around three principles that guide the entire laboratory:
Predict: model and understand water behaviour under present and future scenarios.
Design: implement technical solutions that work and are maintainable.
Sustain: operate and maintain systems with metrics, control, and continuous improvement
Mission of the Hydrology & SUDS Lab.
The mission of the laboratory is to develop applied knowledge and train professionals to design hydrologically resilient cities and infrastructures, through:
- advanced hydrological and hydraulic modelling
- urban drainage and SUDS (Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems)
- flood control and risk management
- river restoration and nature-based solutions
- environmental assessment, sustainability, and life cycle evaluation
- data integration, monitoring, and operational planning
What makes this Lab different within GUTEC.
This laboratory does not focus only on calculations or software. Its difference lies in a full life-cycle approach, connecting technical design with operational reality:
An urban drainage project does not end on the drawings; it ends when it works under real rainfall without collapsing, and when it can be maintained without becoming a chronic problem. A resilience plan does not end with a report; it ends when the city reduces damage and restores services quickly.
That is why the Hydrology & SUDS Lab integrates engineering with:
- operation and maintenance
- economics and prioritisation
- ESG criteria and sustainability
- regulations and permits
- data governance and monitoring
Esto lo convierte en un laboratorio altamente útil para industria y administraciones que buscan soluciones reales, no solo conceptos.
Research and applied development lines.
The laboratory is organised into lines that address specific problems in the global market.
This line focuses on predicting hydrological behaviour under different storm events and climate scenarios. The emphasis is on rigorous analysis of catchments, extreme events, peak flows, natural and artificial attenuation, and risk assessment.
Methodologies are developed to: interpret historical series and trends, define design storms, analyse sensitivity and uncertainty, generate risk maps, and translate all of this into planning and infrastructure design decisions.
Here, professionals are trained to technically defend a project before audits, permits, or financing processes, providing clear and coherent evidence.
El laboratorio trabaja cómo se comporta el agua en redes urbanas, cauces, canales y estructuras hidráulicas. Se estudian efectos de estrechamientos, puentes, secciones insuficientes, puntos críticos, remansos, y cómo la urbanización cambia el flujo.
El objetivo es que el alumno aprenda a diseñar soluciones sólidas y a identificar “puntos de fallo” antes de que se conviertan en incidentes: sobrecargas de red, desbordamientos, entradas de agua en sótanos, saturación de estaciones de bombeo o colapso de drenajes.
Esta línea es central en el laboratorio. Se enfoca en cómo reducir escorrentía, aumentar infiltración, mejorar calidad del agua y mitigar impactos mediante infraestructura verde y azul.
Se trabaja el diseño real de soluciones como:
pavimentos permeables, zanjas drenantes, biorretención, jardines de lluvia, cubiertas verdes, depósitos de laminación, alcorques estructurales, humedales urbanos y estrategias de “ciudad esponja”.
El laboratorio enfatiza lo que muchas formaciones olvidan: mantenimiento, ciclo de vida y operación. Se enseña a diseñar SUDS que sean gestionables y medibles, con indicadores y protocolos de mantenimiento.
Más allá del drenaje, esta línea integra resiliencia y planificación urbana. Se estudia cómo incorporar criterios de adaptación en planes urbanos, ordenación territorial y diseño de barrios.
Se desarrollan modelos de priorización de intervenciones, análisis de vulnerabilidad, y estrategias que combinan infraestructura, políticas y gestión del suelo para reducir riesgo con visión de largo plazo.
This line focuses on predicting hydrological behaviour under different storm events and climate scenarios. The emphasis is on rigorous analysis of catchments, extreme events, peak flows, natural and artificial attenuation, and risk assessment.
Methodologies are developed to: interpret historical series and trends, define design storms, analyse sensitivity and uncertainty, generate risk maps, and translate all of this into planning and infrastructure design decisions.
Here, professionals are trained to technically defend a project before audits, permits, or financing processes, providing clear and coherent evidence.
The laboratory studies how water behaves in urban networks, river channels, canals, and hydraulic structures. It examines the effects of constrictions, bridges, insufficient sections, critical points, backwater effects, and how urbanisation alters flow.
The objective is for students to learn how to design robust solutions and identify “failure points” before they become incidents: network overloads, overflows, water entering basements, pumping station saturation, or drainage system collapse.
This line is central to the laboratory. It focuses on how to reduce runoff, increase infiltration, improve water quality, and mitigate impacts through green and blue infrastructure.
The real design of solutions is addressed, such as: permeable pavements, drainage trenches, bioretention systems, rain gardens, green roofs, attenuation tanks, structural tree pits, urban wetlands, and “sponge city” strategies.
The laboratory emphasises what many training programmes overlook: maintenance, life cycle, and operation. Students are taught to design SUDS that are manageable and measurable, with indicators and maintenance protocols.
Más allá del drenaje, esta línea integra resiliencia y planificación urbana. Se estudia cómo incorporar criterios de adaptación en planes urbanos, ordenación territorial y diseño de barrios.
Se desarrollan modelos de priorización de intervenciones, análisis de vulnerabilidad, y estrategias que combinan infraestructura, políticas y gestión del suelo para reducir riesgo con visión de largo plazo.
Laboratory infrastructure .
The MEP & Energy Systems Lab operates as a professional environment where students work with:
- real building cases and complex typologies.
- schematics and technical reports with project logic.
- sizing and verification methodologies.
- operational scenarios and typical failures (diagnostics).
- commissioning documentation and O&M handover.
- control models and automation strategies.
- metrics and indicators for performance and maintenance.
Projects and applied case studies .
The laboratory’s projects are oriented towards producing real results. Examples of typical cases:
- diagnosis of urban flooding and prioritised action plan
- SUDS design for a new neighbourhood or urban regeneration
- redesign of drainage for a critical asset (hospital, data centre, campus)
- analysis of critical points in urban watercourses and mitigation measures
- environmental assessment and ESG indicators in urban hydraulic projects
Each case is documented with professional deliverables: technical report, design criteria, sizing, maintenance scheme, and impact justification
Servicios del laboratorio para empresas e instituciones.
El Hidrología & SUDS Lab colabora con administraciones, empresas y operadores mediante:
- flood risk and vulnerability assessments
- development of SUDS plans for residential developments and urban regeneration
- water-related climate adaptation strategies for cities and infrastructure
Each case is documented with professional deliverables: technical report, design criteria, sizing, maintenance framework, and impact justification.
These collaborations are structured with defined scope, deliverables, and success criteria, oriented towards real transfer and scalability.
Opportunities for students and researchers.
Students can participate as: applied research assistants, data analysts, case developers, collaborators in projects with companies, or participants in technical challenges related to cities, infrastructure, and critical assets.
The laboratory experience translates into a professional portfolio: reports, models, design proposals, monitoring dashboards, and defensible documentation.
Publications and working papers.
The laboratory produces guides, applied case studies, and technical documents on topics such as:
- SUDS design and maintenance methodology.
- Urban flood analysis and prioritisation of measures.
- Integration of green solutions with conventional drainage.
- Rainfall resilience indicators and KPIs.
- Operations and monitoring models for networks and green solutions.
environmental assessment and an ESG approach in urban water projects.
Project calls.
The Hydrology & SUDS Lab opens calls for:
- projects with municipalities and public-sector entities.
- pilots with companies (real estate, utilities, infrastructure).
- innovation challenges for students.
- applied work for final projects.
Extended FAQs.
No. SUDS is a key component, but the laboratory covers hydrology, floods, hydraulic modelling, river restoration, water quality, and monitoring.
Yes. The laboratory is prepared for diagnostics, pilots, technical reviews, and applied projects.
