The A+ Storage Facility at Northfield Village in Murfreesboro, Tennessee was officially opened in December 2020. The Penetron System was specified as the preferred concrete waterproofing solution over traditional membrane systems to ensure durability and eliminate downstream maintenance and related costs.
Founded in 2002, A+ Storage of Tennessee has expanded across middle Tennessee, Texas and Florida with the construction and acquisition of a network of self-storage facilities. Built by Conseco Group, a Nashville-based construction firm, the newest A+ Storage facility at Northfield Village comprises four buildings of over 100,000 square feet. One building has two floors, the other three buildings are single-story, open-outside-style storage units built of brick and concrete with metal canopies and roofs.
“During previous construction projects, the A+ project managers had numerous problems with membrane systems, with some failing a mere six months after construction was completed,” explains Christopher Chen, Director of The Penetron Group. “With the Northfield Village facility project, they once again specified a membrane system and added an alternative integral waterproofing solution for the exterior floor slab.”
Secure Storage & Durable Structures
However, H&C Concrete Construction, the project’s concrete subcontractor, was more familiar with the performance and durability of a range of waterproofing solutions.
“The subcontractor reviewed the project specifications and contacted Penetron about optimizing a concrete waterproofing solution for the newest A+ Storage facility,” adds Christopher Chen. “The switch to the Penetron System was quickly approved.”
Nashville Ready Mix, the project’s ready-mix supplier, added PENETRON ADMIX to the concrete mix for the first-floor perimeter walls and elevator pit. PENECRETE MORTAR, a crystalline waterproofing mortar, was applied to seal the tie holes along the perimeter walls and elevator pits.
Added during the batching phase and unaffected by climactic conditions, PENETRON ADMIX is one of the world’s most efficient and economic permeability-reducing concrete admixtures (PRAH), as defined by the American Concrete Institute (ACI). PENETRON ADMIX-treated concrete is protected against a range of factors that cause concrete deterioration, such as freeze-thaw cycles, chemical attack, corrosion, and alkali silica reactions (ASR), while blocking moisture penetration caused by hydrostatic pressure.
Looking Ahead
“As an alternative to the traditional membrane waterproofing systems, the Penetron System is known as a value engineering solution,” adds Christopher Chen. “It’s a less costly waterproofing solution and also saves time during construction by accelerating the schedule without sacrificing functionality and quality.”
Since completion of the Northfield Village facility, A+ has begun construction on another storage facility at Spring Hill, where the Penetron System was also specified. The Spring Hill project will have 92,950 square feet of total space and consist of a two-story building and a single-story, open-outside storage building.
Christopher Chen comments, “If a customer specifies Penetron for a follow-up project, that’s the highest praise we can get!”
