BACKGROUND:
The River District is a new 130-acre neighborhood planned along the Fraser River in South Vancouver. The development will include 7,000 homes in apartment or condo style, in addition to over 250,000 square feet of retail space. Most of the buildings will include parking garages that will be two
floors below grade (underground). The project team faced an important decision when it came to waterproofing their buildings. The whole development sits between the river and a steep hill. The combination of a very high water table and excess water runoff down the hill leaves the project exposed to very high hydrostatic pressure. To create enough weight to anchor buildings being constructed below grade in the high-water table, a 5’ raft slab was needed to stabilize the buildings.

SOLUTION:
To ensure the permanent and complete waterproofing of their buildings, the design team specified the use of Krystol Internal Membrane (KIM) in the concrete mix for all the below-grade areas. KIM contains Krystol technology, when added to concrete the technology in the KIM chemically reacts with water and un-hydrated cement particles to form insoluble needle-shaped crystals. These crystals fill the pores and capillaries in the concrete to block any water pathways in the concrete. Any moisture introduced through cracks in the concrete trigger crystallization and self-sealing process. The KIM will also protect the rebar in the raft slabs from corrosion. To complete their waterproofing system, the project team used Krytonite Swelling Waterstop, Krystol Waterstop Teatment and Krystol Waterstop Grout on the below grade construction joints. Krytonite Swelling Waterstop is a synthetic rubber waterstop that uses swelling pressure to seal concrete construction joints and stop water. The innovative trapezoid shape resists dislodgement and allows better concrete consolidation. Additionally, Krytonite has consistent high-performance swelling even in contaminated water.