PENETRON Digs Deep for Athens Archeology School

PENETRON technology was tapped for the new construction and expansion projects at the American School of Classic Studies in Athens (ASCSA), Greece. The integral crystalline solution ultimately helped solve a leakage problem during construction at the ASCSA library, as well.

The inauguration of the new Malcolm Wiener Laboratory for Archaeological Science and the expansion of the Gennadius Library, both part of the ASCSA, brought cutting-edge research technologies – including bioarchaeology, geoarchaeology, archaeobotany, and zooarchaeology – to the school. This project also introduced the school to the efficacy of PENETRON’s permeability-reducing concrete admixture, PENETRON ADMIX.
 

“The admixture provides the new structures at the ASCSA comprehensive protection against concrete deterioration caused by chemical attack, freeze-thaw cycles and corrosion,” adds Theodor Mentzikofakis, General Director of PENETRON Hellas.
 
Because the work site for the Wiener Laboratory for Archaeological Science was below the water table, the builder specified PENETRON ADMIX for 2,500 m³ of concrete for the new basement structures and elevator pits to optimize resistance to water penetration, even with hydrostatic pressure. PENEBAR SW waterstop was used to seal all construction joints. In addition, the PENETRON-enhanced crystalline slurry applied in combination with PENECRETE MORTAR took care of any final repairs.
 
The ASCSA’s Gennadius Library, a renowned center for the study of Greek history, literature, and art, is being enlarged to integrate more exhibit space and added areas for R&D activities.
 
“This project is very similar to what PENETRON did for the University of Georgia in the U.S.A.,” adds Mr. Mentzikofakis. The Special Collections Library at the University of Georgia is a large, below-ground concrete structure that safeguards priceless cultural artifacts. PENETRON ADMIX was used to improve the concrete’s strength and to ensure that no groundwater can enter the structure through the concrete.
 
In addition to treating the new concrete structures for ACSA, the existing west wing of the Gennadius Library required repair work on leaks due to a partial failure of the originally installed PVC membrane and was completed in February 2017.
 
Initially, PENEPLUG, a rapid-setting, crystalline-based compound, was applied to stop the active leaks almost upon contact. PENETRON ADMIX was then mixed into the concrete used for new walls and floors and PENEBAR SW waterstop halted water ingress through cast-in-place concrete construction joints.
 
The American School of Classical Studies at Athens, Greece, was first established in 1881. It is a renowned center for the study of the Greek antiquity, not only active in the investigation and preservation of Greece’s cultural heritage, but responsible for all American archaeological research, as well.
 
“There is a certain symmetry to repairing a structure created by ancients, who grasped the secrets of durable construction, with PENETRON crystalline technology,” commented Robert Revera, President & CEO of The PENETRON Group. “It’s so rewarding to realize PENETRON has been able to renew that longevity for future generations.”