Built and owned by the richest man in the world, Carlos Slim, Plaza Carso is a remarkable integrated plaza. The mixed-use project sits on a 50,000 square meter (540,000 square foot) site and incorporates three office towers, three residential towers with 435 apartment units, a mall, five restaurants, a cinema with 14 theatres, and two major museums. This mammoth project would require a minimum of 1,200 trucks filled with concrete. In addition to the sheer scope of the project, other waterproofing challenges included the roads, suspended slabs in the garden areas and apartment pools which are all located directly above parking structures.
When faced with the challenge of selecting a waterproofing solution, the owner considered the options that would provide time saving opportunities. Having worked with Kryton International Inc. in the past, applicators Concretos Moctezuma recommended Kryton. The owner recognized the superior Kryton product performance and therefore did not persue traditional membrane options.
Kryton’s flagship product, Krystol Internal Membrane (KIM) was used to waterproof over 1,200 cubic meters (42,000 cubic feet) of concrete. Kryton’s Waterstop Treatment was also applied to waterproof the joints throughout the plaza in 1,000 square meters (11,000 square feet) of concrete. Throughout this area, the Waterstop Treatment ensured that the bond between the old concrete and the new concrete of the vehicle roads, apartment towers, motor lobby and parking areas were watertight.
Francisco Carreon, the project supervisor says that “Adding KIM to the slabs and other concrete structures in Plaza Carso helped us save time and money which were a direct result of replacing membranes and labor. Now, 18 months since completion, we have not seen any leaking and are very pleased with the results”.
Krystol Internal Membrane (KIM) is a hydrophilic crystalline admixture used to create permanently waterproof concrete.
Krystol Waterstop Treatment is a cementitious crystalline slurry that is applied to horizontal and vertical construction joints to provide additional waterproofing protection, and protect rebar from corrosion.
