Built on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea, the new 65€ million Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilisations (MuCEM) in Marseille has been designed to deliver exceptional resistance to the challenging and aggressive coastal conditions.
Faced with salt water exposure, high water tables and fluctuating temperatures, over 5,000m2 of Grace Construction Products’ Preprufe waterproofing membrane proved the perfect solution to provide watertight protection from below the ground up.
Due to its coastal proximity, structural engineers SICA and Lamoureux & Riciotti required a comprehensive waterproofing system which would protect the slab from water ingress, provide protection from salt and sulphates in the ground and preserve the lifespan of the structure.
Preventing water penetration and migration around the foundations, the application of Preprufe will protect the development and its collection and expositions many years to come.
Preprufe is an advanced membrane system which offered the safest and most reliable waterproofing option. Designed with synthetic adhesive layers, Grace’s patented Advanced Bond Technology enables concrete to aggressively adhere to Preprufe, forming a unique intimate seal which prevents any water migration between the waterproofing and the structure, substantially reducing the risk of leaks.
No other system on the market protects a substructure from the harmful effects of water, vapour and gas better than Preprufe. It can also be applied on wet concrete and is immediately trafficable after installation, which makes for fast and easy installation.
To complete the project’s comprehensive waterproofing specification, Grace supplied its Bituthene LM asphalt-modified liquid membrane to provide a continuous waterproofing barrier system between the concrete slab and diaphragm walls.
Preserving and protecting cultural buildings is essential for future generations which is why the successful application of Preprufe at MuCEM perfectly demonstrates the importance of specifying a geomembrane which is fit for purpose, economically and environmentally sustainable and delivers waterproofing performance like no other system on the market.
