Below-Grade

Republic Polytechnic (Woodlands Campus)
Singapore

BACKGROUND
Established in 2002, Singapore’s Republic Polytechnic is a post-secondary institution that prepares local and international students for careers in engineering, technology and applied sciences. In 2004, work began on the institution’s new home, the Woodlands Campus, which would serve thousands of students and community members. 

Designed by award-winning Japanese architect, Fumihiko Maki and DP Architects, the 20-hectare Woodlands Campus is made up of a central nucleus containing 11 identical, high-rise learning pods and one staff administration hub. The learning pods, which include laboratories and study areas, are linked by two large, elliptical concrete decks of common facilities, known as the Lawn and the Agora.

Named for an ancient Greek word signifying a place where people exchange ideas and information, the Agora houses a library, auditoriums, lecture rooms, cafeterias and informal reading and recreation spaces. The Lawn features a grassy area, a sunken garden and various landscaped spaces.

In planning the Woodlands Campus, waterproofing the suspended concrete slabs that make up the Lawn and the Agora was a key concern for the project team. Water leaking through the slabs would flood the laboratories, restaurants and classrooms beneath, and accessing the concrete beneath the Lawn for repairs would mean tearing up the grass and landscaping.

Since addressing future leaks in the Lawn or the Agora would be expensive, time-consuming and inconvenient to students, staff and the public, the team needed a concrete waterproofing system that was guaranteed permanent. And in light of the project’s tight construction timeline, the system needed to be easy and quick to apply.

SOLUTION
After investigating various concrete options, the project team chose Krystol Internal Membrane ™ (KIM®) to waterproof the suspended slabs of the elliptical disks that make up the Agora and the Lawn. A sunken courtyard and an Olympic-sized swimming pool were also waterproofed using KIM. 

KIM is based on Kryton’s innovative and proprietary Krystol technology. When added to a concrete mixture or applied to existing concrete, Krystol creates a chemical reaction that causes needle-like crystals to grow, filling the spaces between concrete particles and permanently blocking the movement of water in all directions. If small cracks later form in the concrete, incoming water causes additional waterproofing crystals to grow, self-sealing the cracks and stopping the migration of water.

Using KIM eliminates the need for external waterproofing membranes, and since KIM is added right to the concrete mix, no on-site preparation work is required. While external membrane systems deteriorate over time, KIM lasts the lifetime of the structure. And its ability to self-seal concrete cracks protects against leaks and reduces repair time and costs over the long-term.

Key factors in the team’s decision to use KIM instead of conventional waterproofing membrane systems were its ease of application, which saved hundreds of hours of labour, weeks of construction time and thousands of dollars in construction costs, and KIM’s self-sealing abilities which will save time, money and hassles over the lifetime of the Woodlands Campus.

More than 60,000 kg (132,275 pounds) of KIM and 7,500 m3 (9,810 cubic yards) of KIM-treaded concrete were used in the new Republic Polytechnic campus, which opened in March 2006.

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KIM waterproofed Olymic-sized swimming pool.

Republic Polytechnic in construction.

3D aerial rendering of Republic Polytechnic when completed.

Republic Polytechnic - July 2006.