Waterproofing Concrete: Crack Size Matters, Crack Bridging Capacity

September 16, 2021
Water Intrusion, Waterproofing, Waterproofing News, waterproofing site integrity, waterproofing testing

Blindside Waterproofing: Swellable Membrane Limitations: Cracks, Voids and Poor Consolidation Matter

In concrete, there are voids and cracks that waterproofing systems must compress against to be functional. This is relevant, particularly regarding poorly consolidated substrates which is inherent to shotcrete.  Swellable membranes such as Bentonite often do not achieve the 24 lbs. of compression per square foot required to achieve watertight functionality, when installed in conjunction with shotcrete.

When it comes to saving construction costs by using shotcrete at below grade vertical conditions, in lieu of cast-in-place concrete, we advise using some of those consequential savings towards a waterproofing system that can accommodate the inconsistencies inherent with blown concrete. Even the best nozzlemen cannot guarantee that voids will not be left behind.

A High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) membrane with taped seams, used in conjunction with a bentonite option (that has the capacity of bridging in a watertight manner the poor compaction and consolidation areas that are acceptable structurally but inherently problematic from a waterproofing standpoint), is a predictable way to get watertight performance results with shotcrete applications.

Contact Terra-Petra today for a consultation on our waterproofing consulting, testing and inspection services.

Pendry Hotel and Condo Complex Opens on Sunset Strip

May 20, 2021
CQA/CQC, Water Intrusion, Waterproofing, waterproofing site integrity, waterproofing testing

Re-post of original article from labusinessjournal.com

The long-awaited Pendry, a large hotel and condominium development positioned on the Sunset Strip at the site of the former House of Blues, has partially opened.

The property’s 149 hotel rooms started taking reservations April 2 while its 40 condos are slated to open in June.

Clad in digital billboards, the eye-catching complex is located at 8430 Sunset Blvd. in West Hollywood and holds two restaurants from Wolfgang Puck, Ospero and Merois, which are also open.

Marcy Schulte, a principal with Cuningham, which executed the project, said Pendry is benefiting from rising vaccination rates. “There’s a lot of pent-up demand and energy around getting back out,” she said.

Schulte added that the property’s residences are also seeing a lot of interest. “We’re expecting that, with vaccines coming online, and the more and more we know about it, that it will start to look more familiar in terms of the way people are socializing,” she said.

Even though the project was erected during the height of the pandemic, it didn’t have to undergo many changes in terms of land-use and design. “There’s some adjustments in terms of intensity and density of usage but really pretty minor,” Schulte said.

Read the complete article on labusinessjournal.com

Terra-Petra is thrilled to have been a part of this fabulous The Pendry Hotel project. Terra-Petra served as the Quality Assurance/Quality Control Waterproofing Inspectors throughout the entire construction process. We are also in the process of completing the QA/QC Fenestration Testing at the Residence in compliance with the project’s performance specifications.

Read more about Terra-Petra’s work on the project here

Forensic Water Intrusion Testing – Los Angeles, CA

April 2, 2021
Electronic Leak Detection (ELD), Forensic Water Intrusion Testing, Inspection, Water Intrusion, Waterproofing, Waterproofing News

Terra-Petra’s waterproofing division has been engaged by a leading Southern California contractor to conduct a forensic assessment of historic water intrusion issues for an existing building near LAX.

Unfortunately, we are not at liberty to discuss the project in detail, or disclose our client’s name as we are bound by an NDA, but we can say that the building in question is a single-story warehouse type structure with an approximate footprint of 100,000 SF.

Our process When Conducting Forensic Assessments:

Complete due diligence research on all existing buildings plans, specifications, reports, waterproofing submittal packages, photos and as-built drawings (if any of these exist). We want to be able to wrap our head around everything that has been completed to date, in order to better understand contributing factors that could have led to the failure in the waterproofing assembly.

Our investigators then conduct site walks where they perform non-destructive testing in compliance with ASTM 2128-12: Standard Guide for Evaluating Water Leakage of Building Walls. This will usually include a visual inspection and the use of thermal imaging equipment and moisture meters, among other tools, to carry out the assessment work.

The forensic investigators will meet with on-site personnel, take notes and photo document conditions in order to prepare summary with our findings, options and recommendations for addressing the water intrusion matters. Sometime the non-destructive testing is not able to identify the source of the failure. In these cases, we are able to move through a destructive testing process where claddings are removed to expose the underlying conditions for the investigators. Possible testing strategies may include water testing following ASTM/AAMA standards either with or without static pressure, flood testing with colored dyes or visual inspections. Each condition is analyzed on a case-by-case basis to determine the most appropriate strategy.

No Quick Fixes, Patches Or Band-Aids....We Get To The Root Of The Problem and Fix It!

At Terra-Petra we do not believe in “patches” or “band aids” when it comes to repairing failures in the waterproofing assembly because quite honestly, they just don’t work…one must get to the root cause and make repairs at that level, to stop the leak.

Our forensic team has a high degree of success in identifying root causes of water intrusion issues by following the process outlined above.

Contact Terra-Petra today to get started or get a consultation on your own waterproofing project needs.

Waterproofing Services, Building Envelope Consulting – Los Alamitos, CA

March 15, 2021
, , Building Envelope Consulting, CQA/CQC, Water Intrusion, Waterproofing, Waterproofing News

Terra-Petra is performing building envelope inspections for a major real estate developer at their luxury apartment development in Los Alamitos, CA. The new construction, a 3 level apartment building, comprises approximately 35,000 SF.

The scope of work includes the waterproofing systems being installed at the windows, doors, building wrap and roofing.

Our services cover all manufacturer required Independent Inspections, Testing and Reporting and Quality Assurance.

Learn more about Terra-Petra’s complete spectrum of building envelope consulting services.