Projects: Case Studies

Governors Island Seawall

New York, USA (2014)

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Background

For over 120 years, the 2.2 mile seawall that wraps Governors Island has protected the island, kept the land together and stood strong against the sea. Construction to rehabilitate the seawall began in the middle of 2013. The revetment is a sloped stone abutment that must handle the heavy waves of the ocean and be easily maintainable. On the north side of the Island, the original seawall needed further support and repairs to ensure it could continue to handle the constant bombardment of salt water.

Sustaining and even extending the service life of the structure meant protecting against the infiltration of water into both the existing and new concrete while being resilient to the weathering action (including significant freeze/thaw cycles) year round. A durable solution was needed.

Solution

The New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYC EDC), the owner of the project decided to use Kryton’s Krystol Internal Membrane (KIM) waterproofing admixture for the new and old sections of the seawall. As KIM is added directly to the concrete mix, the installation of an external membrane and coatings was not needed. Over 2,000 yd³ (1,530 m³) of KIM concrete was poured to form the seawall and protect the Island.

The original structure also needed to use the Krystol Leak Repair System in order to refurbish the existing structure in place. The Leak Repair System is the complete way to repair cracks and create durable, waterproof structures. The Leak Repair System is the complete way to repair concrete cracks and create durable, waterproof structures. With both KIM and the Leak Repair System installed, the Governors Island Seawall is set to stand the test of time. As of writing, both KIM and the Leak Repair System are working as originally specified.