Project solutions

High-rise tower

Towers need concrete that can be pumped high in summer heat, deep basements below the water table, and a facade that seals against wind-driven rain. Fire-rated joints and penetrations matter in every shaft and floor.

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Solutions in build order

What this project needs, step by step

Truck mixer with an admixture dose discharging into a concrete pump that pipes the mix up to an upper floor slab

High-performance ready-mix concrete Ready-mix plants supplying high-strength, pumped or long-haul concrete need a superplasticiser that holds slump, cuts water and works with GGBS, fly ash or microsilica. Durability admixtures cover corrosion and air entrainment where the specification asks for them. 6 steps

Fluid concrete flowing level through dense reinforcement in a sealed beam form, with no vibrator, after an admixture dose

Self-compacting concrete (SCC) Self-compacting concrete flows into congested reinforcement and fills forms without vibration. It needs a high-range polycarboxylate superplasticiser, an SCC mix design and strong, well-sealed formwork. 6 steps

Basement wall and base slab of waterproofed concrete holding back ground water, with a waterstop in the wall-slab joint

Waterproof (watertight) concrete For basements, water tanks, pools and sewage works, make the concrete itself resist water with a low water–cement ratio, an integral waterproofing admixture and sealed construction joints. This is for new pours; it cannot fix a structure that already leaks. 7 steps

Basement section with a membrane on the outside face of the wall and under the floor slab, facing the groundwater.

Basement waterproofing from outside (positive side) For new basements, or where the soil can be dug away, stop water on the face that the soil and groundwater press against. Build watertight concrete, seal every joint, coat or sheet the outside face, then backfill carefully. 7 steps

Lift pit section below the floor, lined inside with a waterproof coat, with guide rails and a buffer spring.

Lift pits and drainage sumps Lift pits and drainage or sewage sumps are the lowest points in a building, so groundwater collects there. Build them watertight, seal the kicker joint, and line them with a slurry rated for water pressure. 6 steps

Pipe passing through a concrete floor slab with an orange sealing collar round it and orange sealant at the top

Pipe and service penetrations Pipes, ducts and cables passing through basement walls, tank walls, roofs and fire-rated floors are weak points for water and fire. Seal each one for its job: watertight, weathertight, fire-rated, or a simple interior gap. 6 steps

Joint between two wall sections sealed on both faces with orange fire-rated sealant, with flames on one side

Fire-rated joints Joints in fire-rated walls and floors, such as stair and lift shafts, compartment walls and plant rooms, must hold back fire and smoke for the rated time. The rating comes from a tested configuration, not from the sealant alone. 6 steps

Section of a bathroom floor with waterproofing turned up the walls under the tiles, sloping to a floor drain

Bathroom waterproofing (under tiles) Most home leaks start in bathrooms: water gets through grout and cracks, runs along the slab and shows as seelan on the ceiling below or the wall next door. Strip, seal cracks, waterproof the floor and lower walls, then tile, grout and seal the fittings. 6 steps

Large thin porcelain slabs on a full orange adhesive bed, and the next slab with buttered back lowered onto ridged adhesive

Large-format porcelain tiles and slabs Porcelain tiles of 60 × 60 cm and larger, on floors and walls. They need a flat base, a C2TE flexible adhesive and full bedding by back-buttering, or they ring hollow and crack. 7 steps

Two double-glazed panels meeting at an aluminium mullion, sealed with orange silicone, with rain outside

Glazing, curtain walls and shopfronts Weather-sealing joints in glass curtain walls, windows, shopfronts and metal cladding, and the specialist silicones used in structural glazing and insulating glass. This is professional facade work and needs project-specific adhesion tests. 6 steps

Facade joints (concrete, block, precast and cladding) Movement and connection joints on outside walls: between precast panels, at floor slabs, around infill panels and in metal or stone cladding. A sound joint keeps monsoon rain out and lets the facade move. 7 steps

Flat roof section with an exposed coating on the slab, turned up and over the parapets and into the drain outlet.

Exposed roof waterproofing A liquid-applied membrane that stays open to sun and rain on a flat or sloped concrete roof (chhat). Use it on a new roof once the slab is 28 days old, or to refurbish a leaking roof before the monsoon. 6 steps

Planter section: waterproof layer, root barrier, drainage layer and soil with plants, draining to a roof outlet.

Green roofs, roof gardens and planters Roof gardens, landscaped decks and built-in concrete planters stay wet under soil for years, so the waterproofing must be done before any soil goes in. The data sheets we hold cover bitumen and cement-based layers; ask us about root barriers and dedicated green-roof systems. 5 steps

Car park deck section with a coated, sloped surface draining to a gully, a sealed joint, rain and a car tyre.

Car-park decks & ramps Car-park decks face tyre wear, oil, water and, on the open top deck, sun and monsoon rain. A crack-bridging resin system with a UV-resistant seal coat and sealed joints protects the slab and the floors below. 7 steps