AT&T Performing Arts Center – Wyly Theater

Situated in the arts district of downtown Dallas, the 80,300-sq ft Wyly Theatre was designed to accommodate traditional and experimental performances of music, dance, and cinema. The 12-level building features innovative design with a vertically organized facility that completely rethinks the traditional form of a theatre. It is a cast-in-place and structural steel framed building with an exterior curtainwall and aluminum cladding. The design included a below-grade pedestrian tunnel used by people walking from the parking lot to the theater. The construction team wanted to ensure this high traffic area would be 100 percent waterproof to ensure the comfort of theater goers.

SOLUTION

The project team turned to Kryton’s Krystol Internal Membrane (KIM) to guarantee they had a leak-proof, high quality waterproofing solution. The entire tunnel was encased in concrete treated with KIM to give it permanent self-sealing waterproof protection for the structure’s life. KIM contains Krystol technology. When added to concrete, Krystol chemically reacts with water and un-hydrated cement particles to form insoluble needle-shaped crystals that fill capillary pores and micro-cracks in the concrete and block the pathways for water and waterborne contaminants. Any moisture introduced over the lifespan of the concrete will initiate crystallization, ensuring permanent waterproofing protection. As of 2017 the tunnel is still dusty dry.