The Kambala Bayview Center is located in the harbour side town of Rose Bay – an eastern suburb of Sydney, Australia. The centre is a part of the Kambala private school, an independent boarding school for girls, and is home to the school’s successful Early Learning Center. The Kambala Bayview Center project involved the construction of an underground six- level carpark, two passenger lifts, staff rooms, work rooms, plant rooms and on site detention tanks.
Because of the school’s close proximity to the Sydney Harbour, the depth of the site and the region’s temperate and oceanic climate, waterproofing the centre was a must. The carpark alone sat 12 meters (39 feet) below ground and was subject to underground aquifer conditions.
The 700 cubic meters (915 cubic yards) concrete roof of the carpark was constructed using Kryton’s Krystol Concrete Waterproofing System. The Krystol system uses advanced integral crystalline waterproofing technology to transform porous concrete into a permanent, water-resistant barrier. It provides a guaranteed defense against water damage and steel reinforcement corrosion.
The Krystol Concrete Waterproofing System eliminates the need for external waterproofing membranes, which saves construction time and costs. It provides maximum flexibility and can be used any time before, during or after the construction process. Unlike external waterproofing membranes, Krystol will not deteriorate – it’s guaranteed to last the lifetime of the structure.
The Krystol Internal Membrane (KIM) -treated concrete was placed in a single pour over 650 cubic meters (850 cubic yards) and 1,500 square meters (1,800 square yards) in floor area to guarantee a watertight carpark. The roof had an average thickness of 450 mm to 550 mm. Two large stormwater pumps were also brought in to drain the more than 10,000 litres (2,600 gallons) of subsoil daily.
Another 50 cubic meters (65 cubic yards) of KIM was used on the centre’s external stairwell and on the detention tank walls where a conventional membrane could not be used.
Project manager, David Menzies said “Krystol was used in the roof structure and other exposed areas of the carpark, eliminating the need for impractical surface applied waterproof membranes,” which saved the team time and money by not requiring the use of other materials.
Krystol Internal Membrane (KIM) is a hydrophilic crystalline admixture used to create permanently waterproof concrete.