Thomas Jefferson School of Law in downtown San Diego is an eight-story classroom building, with ground-level retail space, and three levels of underground parking. The structure is concrete from the parking structure to a podium slab at the first floor and eight levels aboveground. The owner’s objective was to contain costs while still achieving a structure with superior environmental performance and LEED Gold certification.
By using Hycrete’s integral concrete waterproofing system, the contractor was able to eliminate external waterproofing membranes. This membrane-free approach to waterproofing reduced construction by four weeks and saved an estimated $187,000 in construction costs, a 32% improvement over traditional waterproofing approaches. The USGBC awarded the structure a credit for Membrane Free Construction Through Integral Concrete Waterproofing, (Innovation in Design Credit 1.1). This was due to the elimination of excavation/backfill required for membrane installation and the enhancement of the concrete’s recyclabiity.
View all of the 2011 GreenSite projects at www.greensiteawards.com.