Media Release

San Antonio Apartment Hotel Specifies Penetron to Protect Concrete from High Groundwater Levels

USA

The June 2022 inauguration of the stayAPT Suites San Antonio-Randolph in Selma, Texas, is the latest opening for this rapidly expanding hospitality chain. PENETRON ADMIX SB, a crystalline concrete waterproofing admixture, was specified to protect key below-grade concrete structures.

The stayAPT Suites are a unique apartment-style hotel specifically designed to appeal to traveling professionals. Each unit features a fully equipped apartment with a full-size eat-in kitchen with appliances, a living room with a sleeper sofa, lounge chair and 55-inch smart TV, and a separate bedroom with a work area, walk-in closet and second smart TV. The layouts are generously sized with an average footprint of >500 ft2. Guests also enjoy access to a 24-hour self-service laundry facility, a fitness center, an outdoor courtyard with a built-in grill station, soft seating, and fire pit.

The three-star stayAPT Suites San Antonio-Randolph in Selma, about 20 minutes northeast of downtown San Antonio, features 75 units and provides guests close proximity to the area’s US Military bases of Camp Bullis, Randolph AFB and Fort Sam Houston, and the San Antonio International Airport.

Because of the high groundwater levels of the construction site – and the proximity to Triangle Pond and Waller Creek – Hayse Construction, the form and place contractor, specified a durable waterproofing solution for the below-grade concrete structures, including the elevator pits and the retaining walls.
 

Providing an Effective Concrete Mix

“Our local Penetron representative worked with Martin Marietta, the project’s ready-mix concrete supplier, to provide a concrete mix that would provide the needed protection from the hydrostatic pressure of the region’s high groundwater levels,” adds Christopher Chen, Director of The Penetron Group.

Martin Marietta added PENETRON ADMIX SB, in soluble bags, to the concrete mix during batching. The soluble bag packaging eliminates measuring and simplifies mixing. Easily mixed into the concrete during the batching phase, the active ingredients in PENETRON ADMIX react with moisture to form insoluble crystals that self-heal and seal all micro-cracks, pores, and capillaries in the concrete, becoming an integral part of the matrix. This makes the concrete impermeable to water and other liquids for the service life of the structure.

“Both Martin Marietta and Hayse Construction understood the benefits of a crystalline permeability-reducing admixture like PENETRON ADMIX,” adds Christopher Chen. “They continue to use our admixture with other projects today, which is the best recommendation we can get!”