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Vancouver, B.C. — The builders of Los Angeles’ TreePeople Centre for Community Forestry have chosen to use an innovative crystalline waterproofing technology developed by Kryton International in place of traditional external waterproofing membranes in a massive underground cistern being built at the site.
The TreePeople Center for Community Forestry is a unique environmental education campus currently under construction in California’s Coldwater Canyon Park. Designed to achieve the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum rating, the Center features a 250,000-gallon underground concrete cistern. The largest structure of its kind in the continental United States, the cistern will capture rainwater to irrigate the Center’s elaborate gardens and forests.
“With extensive landscaping planned for the surface above the cistern, access for maintenance and repairs will be virtually impossible,” explains Tim Yeiser of Epicenter Sales, Kryton’s Los Angeles distributor. “Recognizing the limited lifespan of conventional external waterproofing membrane systems, the Center’s architects and designers needed a more permanent alternative. After a great deal of research, they selected Kryton’s Krystol Internal Membrane™(KIM) and the Krystol™Waterstop Joint Design.“
KIM™ incorporates Krystol™, a unique, crystal-forming technology that waterproofs concrete by permanently sealing it from the inside out. When added to a concrete mixture, KIM™ cures to form crystals that fill the spaces between concrete particles, blocking water penetration from all directions. When cracks form in concrete KIM™ reacts with incoming water to self-seal them, eliminating the need for maintenance and repair over the life of the structure. The Krystol™ Waterstop Joint Design provides added protection by sealing and fortifying construction joints.
Along with its self-sealing properties, Yeiser said that the Center’s owners appreciated the fact that KIM™ is environmentally safe, supporting the TreePeople mandate of environmental protection. KIM™ is certified non-toxic by NSF International, a widely respected third-party certification provider that develops national standards for food, indoor air, the environment and water.
“We’re pleased that the TreePeople team has chosen KIM™ and the Krystol™ Waterstop Joint Design for this unique project,” said Leo Connell, marketing manager for the Kryton Group of Companies. “We’re confident they will appreciate the effectiveness, convenience and cost savings of this system both in the short term and over the lifetime of the Center.”
Based in Los Angeles, TreePeople is a non-profit organization that promotes environmental awareness, restores watersheds and fragile habitats and addresses urban issues such as water and energy conservation, flood prevention and storm water pollution. The TreePeople Centre for Community Forestry is scheduled to open in 2005.
Epicenter Sales can be reached at (818) 727-1122. For more information about TreePeople and the Center for Community Forestry, visit www.treepeople.org. To learn more about Kryton International or KIM™, visit www.kryton.com.
About Kryton International:
Kryton International Inc., a member of the Kryton Group of Companies, specializes in developing, manufacturing and distributing specialty products for the repair, maintenance and protection of concrete structures. The company’s products have been used in construction projects worldwide including office towers and condominiums, water/wastewater treatment facilities, swimming pools and aquatic centres, subways and pipelines, bridges and dams. Founded in 1973, Kryton distributes products in 40 countries and has offices and manufacturing facilities around the world.
