MC products add value in major build

• Name

  Regeneration of Berlin‘s “Am Tacheles”

• Country

  Germany, 2022

• Categories

  Waterproofing
  Concrete Cosmetics
  Injection Systems

• Products

  MC-Proof eco
  MC-Injekt 2300 top

The exclusive corner site in Berlin-Mitte had its heyday in the early 20th century. In 1908, the impressive, monumental mall known as Friedrichstrassenpassage opened here, revolutionising the high street retail experience in Germany with a mix of shops, cultural institutions, restaurants and cafés and quickly becoming a top Berlin attraction. In the period between the Second World War and the fall of the Berlin Wall, however, the quarter fell into disrepair. With the site again becoming largely abandoned at the beginning of the 2010s, Berlin-based pwr development GmbH acquired the area with the idea of reviving the charm of Germany’s roaring twenties. The renowned architectural firm Herzog & de Meuron was commissioned to design a new quarter of international class, combining living, working and shopping with art and culture. MC has since been heavily involved in the project, with almost the entire range of its high-quality concrete cosmetics having been applied to produce the impressive, homogeneous exposed concrete surfaces that characterise the complex.

 

MC-Proof eco for the internal waterproofing of sprinkler system tanks

When general contractor Hochtief Infrastructure GmbH was looking for a suitable material to seal the inside of the sprinkler system tanks, the MC team, together with applicator BWA-Bauwerksabdichtungen GmbH, proposed MC-Proof eco. As a fast-setting, highly flexible and high-yield reactive waterproofing compound, it quickly impressed the site managers and supervisors responsible for its application. Given the scale of the Berlin site, any interior waterproofing of concrete building components has to meet some pretty exacting crack-bridging standards. MC-Proof eco comes with all the approvals necessary in this regard: The polymer-modified thick-layer coating has an ETA rating and is certified as a waterproofing solution for tanks and basins in accordance with DIN 18535 for water impact classes W1-B and W2-B. As indicated above, the waterproofing work was carried out by BWA.

Pre-treatment with MC-Injekt 2300 top injection resin for permanent impermeability

The initial injection work required was performed by DMI Injektionstechnik using MC-Injekt 2300 top, a permanently ductile, flexible resin-based sealant that penetrates and fills cracks, construction joints and cavities in concrete and masonry. It is suitable for injection work governed by EN 1504-5, and also Germany’s DAfStb Maintenance Guideline and ZTV-ING code of practice. It offers excellent injectability with controlled reaction time variability.

The “Am Tacheles” project is possibly the most exciting of all those underway in the federal capital. According to current planning (as of July 2022), the first buildings should be ready for occupation in the second half of 2022, with completion of the entire urban redevelopment scheduled for mid-2023.