Emirate Airlines’ Call-Center Owes Kryton One

Arab Construction World – August 2008

As the official international airline of the UAE and one of the fastest growing airlines in the world, Emirate Airlines is looking to construct a seven-storey building to house the company’s call-center operations in the Dubai Outsource Zone (DOZ). To fully benefit from being situated in the DOZ, the world’s first free trade zone dedicated to the outsourcing industry, the airline wanted the building to be constructed rapidly.

Architectural plans were drawn up and a construction schedule w.ith tight deadlines was created. Since the construction schedule was so tight, the project team was concerned about the length of time it would take to apply the external waterproofing membrane that was originally specified. In researching alternative concrete waterproofing methods, the project team chose Kryton’s Krystol® Concrete Waterproofing System.

The Krystol system uses advanced integral crystalline waterproofing technology to transform porous concrete into a permanent, water-resistant barrier. Moisture in fresh concrete mix or water seeping through cracks in existing concrete, activate dormant chemicals, which grow crystals to self-seal cracks. This process provides a guaranteed defense against water damage and steel reinforcement corrosion for the life of the concrete.

By simply adding Kryton’s flagship product, Krystol Internal Membrane™ (KIM®) to the concrete mix at the time of batching, waterproofing concrete becomes a quick and easy process that will not slow construction timelines. Both the contractor and consultant had previously used Krystol to waterproof basements and water tanks and were confident that the high-quality product would produce the same, if not better, results within the tight timeframe.

The Krystol Concrete Waterproofing System at the Emirates Airlines’ Call-center included: Krystol Internal Membrane (KIM), an admixture suited for new concrete construction; and the Krystol Waterstop System™ , an advanced joint design system that provides both chemical and physical waterproofing barriers.

Over 3,275m3 of KIM concrete was poured for the airlines new call-center, which includes two levels of below-grade parking. The new home for Emirate Airlines’ call-center is scheduled for completion in August 2008.