Fighting the Pandemic: Penetron Waterproofs New Medical Center in Kazakhstan

The November 2020 commissioning of the Infectious Disease Center in Kökshetaū, Kazakhstan delivered state-of-the-art resources to fight the COVID pandemic and provide healthcare for all infectious diseases. The Penetron System was used to ensure a waterproof – and non-toxic (NSF-61-certified) – solution for the hospital’s subgrade water reservoir.

Kökshetaū lies in the Akmola region of northern Kazakhstan. Sitting at the junction of the Trans-Kazakhstan and Siberian railways, the city is a substantial industrial center with a population of over 130,000 inhabitants.

“The opening of this new hospital is a further signal that the Akmola region is taking tangible measures to prepare for a possible second wave of Covid infections,” adds Pavel Salnikov, Director of Penetron Kazakhstan. “Construction of the US$ 17 million project was carried out successfully and on time, despite the tight schedule.”

The new 200-bed Infectious Disease Center hospital in Kökshetaū is designed to treat patients suffering from serious infectious diseases. The hospital houses 8 separate blocks, each with its own ventilation and water supply system. The Center employs around 300 medical personnel and is equipped with modern diagnostic and laboratory equipment, including CT scans, digital multi-purpose X-ray machines and mobile X-ray machines.
 

A Safe Choice for Water Storage

Working with the project engineer, the Penetron Kazakhstan team recommended the Penetron System to ensure a robust waterproofing solution for the hospital’s concrete water reservoir. Because all Penetron crystalline waterproofing products are NSF-61 certified, the Penetron System is completely non-toxic and contains no VOCs, making it ideal for the water storage application at the Infectious Disease Center in Kökshetaū.

Once applied to a prepared concrete surface, the proprietary chemicals in Penetron crystalline products react in a catalytic reaction to generate a non-soluble crystalline formation throughout the pores and capillary tracts of the concrete. These crystals permanently seal micro-cracks, pores, and capillaries against the penetration of water or liquids from any direction – making the concrete impermeable.
 

Non-Toxic and Easy to Use

While construction of the hospital neared completion, the Penetron Kazakhstan team had additional local projects in Kökshetaū (new water treatment plants) which also specified the Penetron System as a waterproofing and protection solution.

“In addition to the non-toxic properties of the Penetron System, the ease of application helped keep the hospital project on track," adds Pavel Salnikov. "This showed the project engineers that Penetron was the ideal solution to provide the much-needed waterproofing and durability properties and fulfill the practical and scheduling requirements.”