BAM South Tower

The newest addition to the Downtown Brooklyn Cultural District in New York City is the 31-story Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) South Tower. Developed by Two Trees Management Company and designed by TEN Arquitectos, the tower has over 350 apartments, 50,000 ft² (15,240 m²) of community and cultural space, and a 20,000 ft² (6,096 m²) public plaza.

With the BAM South Tower being a signature element in a developing Brooklyn district, structure design and sustainability were of the utmost importance. Further, with the fluctuating and occasionally disastrous weather extremes in the region, products that can withstand freeze/thaw cycles in winter and the continually changing water pressure, a resilient concrete waterproofing solution was needed.

Solution

With all these factors working against the life span of the building, the choice to go with Kryton’s Krystol technology as the waterproofing solution was the only option for the BAM South Tower. With concrete durability a determining factor, and the destructive qualities underground hydrostatic water pressure has on below grade concrete, Kryton distributor’s New England Dry Concrete recommended Krystol Internal Membrane (KIM) for the entire foundation including the base slab, walls, pits and ramp. Over 6,000 yd³ (4,587 m³) of KIM treated concrete was used.

Further, with the use of KIM, the project team was able to reduce the need for traditional vapor barrier membranes. In this particular application, the chemical qualities of the KIM admixture was able to be used on the walls as the vapor barrier, saving the team additional costs. Kryton’s Krystol Waterstop System was also used for the construction joints. Today, the new BAM South Tower is working as specified as the hub of the new Brooklyn Cultural District in New York City.