Barcelona, Spain -- Huntsman Polyurethanes and De Neef Technologies developed a special polyurea spray coating that was used to create the water roof feature at Barcelona's Forum Building.
De Neef's polyurea membrane, Aquatek Film EC500, is a fast-gel/cure system based on Huntsman's Suprasec 2049 isocyanate and Jeffamine amine components.
Its quick-setting properties meant the polyurea could support moderate foot traffic within minutes, a statement from Huntsman claimed.
The size and scale of the roof prohibited the use of traditional waterproofing options which are unable to handle temperature-induced stretching and shrinking of concrete brought about by structural stresses.
Conventional sandwich methods were also ruled out as too time-consuming, the statement said.
A three-man construction team waterproofed about 600 square metres each day to minimise delays to the construction process.
The structure was also accessible to heavy traffic within 24 hours, enabling other contractors to continue their work virtually uninterrupted.
"Polyurea was the obvious 'all-in-one' high-performance solution for this demanding application," said Felix Moral, De Neef Technologies general manager, in the Huntsman statement.
"Its characteristics combine the crack-bridging elasticity of an elastomeric membrane with the excellent wear resistance needed to cope with a regular maintenance programme. It also enabled a quick installation, meaning we could keep to our customer's tight construction schedule," the Huntsman statement concluded.
"
