Residential Luxury Villa

About the Project

This luxury residential villa with a basement was built in Dubai, where the groundwater table sits 1 metre below ground level. Keeping the below-grade spaces dry required a waterproofing approach built into the structure itself. Baumerk Crystal PW 25 crystalline admixture was recommended and added to the concrete mix, treating approximately 700 m³ of concrete. Baumerk Swellband A waterstop was also used to seal both horizontal and vertical construction joints.

The waterproofing performance of this project is built on the properties of Baumerk Crystal PW 25. Crystal PW 25 is a hydrophilic crystalline waterproofing admixture that reacts with cement and water to start a catalytic process, forming a protective crystalline network inside the concrete's pores, capillaries and cracks and significantly reducing permeability. Supplied as a powder, it is added at the batch plant, in the ready-mix truck or at the precast plant at 0.8–1.0% by weight of cement, and it is compatible with all cement types, supplementary cementitious materials, admixtures and fibres. It is non-toxic, safe for use in water tanks and removes the need for additional waterproofing applications. Swellband A is an acrylic polymer-based swelling waterstop that expands in a controlled way on contact with water, so it does not swell prematurely when cast into concrete.