Istanbul mega-project needs waterproofing to keep the ocean at bay

Vadistanbul is Turkey's largest industrial and urban transformation project. When completed, it will have a shopping mall with hundreds of stores, street shops, office space and a five-star hotel.

The site is located close to the Black Sea, the Sea of Marmara and the Bosphorus. That means a high water table. In fact, water can be found at a depth of only three meters. So it is essential to completely and reliably waterproof the 22-metre deep basements.

For the Vadistanbul Boulevard part of the project, the contractor used our PREPRUFE® waterproofing solutions. In fact, they used 90,000 m² of the membrane to provide superb protection to all built elements up to levels above the water table. That included over 3,000 foundation piles.

Our waterproofing solutions help former BBC headquarters become a spectacular new development

Television Centre was the headquarters of BBC Television until 2013. The site went under redevelopment to include apartments, offices, restaurants and leisure and retail buildings.

A varying water table calls for specific requirements to prevent water migration. The site also contains a complex maze of inverted bends and horizontal paths. Access comes in from a mix of residential, commercial, leisure and retail buildings. That requires a complete matrix of fabricated movement joints.

The contractors chose our PREPRUFE® and ADPRUFE® waterproofing solutions as well as SERVISEAL® waterstop to protect the expansion joins in the concrete. In total, about 19,000 m² of PREPRUFE® and 6,000 m³ of watertight concrete enhanced with ADPRUFE® was used on the site.

Keeping water out of a concert hall's basement

Lovely music in the concert hall upstairs? Yes. Water coming into the basement downstairs? Not so good.

That's the situation the designers of the Green Music Center at Sonoma State University wanted to avoid. Why? The concert hall entrance sits at ground level. But the hall slopes downward, below grade, toward the stage. Plus, several feet of space needed for the building's air supply extend the depth even farther.

There was also a high water table just a few feet below the surface. So the Green Music Center designers chose PREPRUFE® waterproofing membrane in the structure. They also used BITUTHENE® waterproofing on the exterior basement walls. As a result, everything stays dry. Music to our ears.

INTEGRITANK® waterproofing protects prominent waterside development

St. George Wharf in Vauxhall and Riverside West in Wandsworth are prestigious developments of modern trend-setting apartments, shops, cafes, restaurants and other leisure facilities. The developments also incorporate underground car parks with concrete podium deck roofs, which have been subsequently landscaped to form a communal courtyard.

The architects for both projects set out to find a robust and effective waterproofing system that could be specified for the protection of the podium decks, not only for the decks themselves but also to combat water ingress and leakage that could damage the valuable cars parked below.

The decision was taken to specify INTERITANK® for this project - a key deciding factor was simplified sealing and installation of the INTEGRITANK® system in critical areas, such as service entries and gully outlets. The INTEGRITANK® waterproofing system, with unique ESSELAC® advanced resin technology, is BBA certified and ideal for waterproofing underground structures in both internal and external applications in accordance with BS 8102:1990.

Using the system resulted in significant time savings. The areas where INTEGRITANK® waterproofing had been applied could accept vehicular and foot traffic within one hour, unlike other systems that would have to be kept clear for up to seven days and required additional protective layers before trafficking.

Aesthetic finish for multi-storey car park

In March 2016, the Wolverhampton Civic Centre, UK, underwent an £18 million refit which saw the introduction of modern and innovative designs, as well as an upgrade to the existing four-level basement car park.

The work was carried out in phases during a tight timeframe from the end of July to September 2016, to tie in with the wider refurbishment plans. The client also wanted to make sure the new car park had a brighter, fresher and more modern appearance with an aesthetically pleasing protective finish.

The DECSEAL® wearing course system was specified based on its ease of application. Based on unique ESSELAC® technology, the DECSEAL® system can be applied to seven-day old concrete, enabling the application to begin as much as three weeks earlier than other systems. In addition, the system allows for an unlimited over-coating time, eliminates adhesion issues at day joints and provides for easy detailing.

As DECSEAL® wearing course is cold applied, it requires no hot trades and no hot work permits. The Bauxite aggregates also offer exceptional wear and skid resistance, making the surface safer for car park visitors.

The DECSEAL® wearing course provided a choice of six standard colours, with bespoke colours available, offering the designers the ability to create a fresh look. With a speedy, problem-free application, the new parking garage opened on time.