Italy

Waterproofing of the Allianz Isozaki skyscraper

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The Isozaki Tower in the CityLife district, inspired by Costantin Brancusi's endless column, has become one of the symbols of the city of Milan.

Drytech designed the waterproofing of all structures below the design water table of the Allianz Isozaki skyscraper in Milan.

Therefore, the fireproof tanks, the plant tunnels, the polyphores and the basements were built with the Drytech Tank System.

The Isozaki Tower, inspired by Constantin Brancusi’s endless column, has become one of the symbols of the city. Designed by the Japanese architect Arada Isozaki together with the Italian architect Andrea Maffei, the skyscraper is the headquarters of Allianz in Italy.

The building, which can accommodate up to 3,800 people, is the tallest skyscraper in Italy by number of floors (50) and according to the highest occupied floor criterion (with its 207 m).

Property: CityLife s.p.a., Milano

Project: Architect Arata Isozaki, Tokyo / Architect Andrea Maffei, Milano

Structure: Prof. Marco Mola, Ing. Michele Cap, Milano / Ing. Francesco Iorio, Bergamo

Works management: In.Pro srl, Torino

Drytech Tank: 7’400 m²

Waterproofing below the lake

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The symbiosis between the Hotel Il Sereno di Torno and Lake Como began right from the laying of the first stone. The design hotel has literally risen from the waters of the Lario.

For the waterproofing of the rooms below the lake level and the swimming pool of the hotel Il Sereno in Torno, Drytech Tank waterproof structures were built with construction materials that arrived on site via barge.

The symbiosis between the Hotel Il Sereno di Torno and Lake Como began right from the laying of the first stone. The design hotel has literally risen from the waters of the Lario.

The charming country road that leads to the hotel is in fact not passable by heavy vehicles, so all the material for the construction arrived by lake on board barges.

The dominus of this complex construction site was the architect Fabio Curcio Valentini, construction manager and coordinator of the architectural project of Patricia Urquiola, who also created the contemporary interior design of the Luxury Hotel.

The construction was consolidated with poles placed in the water, and the area dedicated to the technical systems was obtained by digging into the granite rock without using explosives, up to a depth of seven meters below the level of the lake and creating the waterproof structures with the Drytech Tank system.

The old dock was incorporated into the new building of four floors above ground and two underground floors.

The lake-front wing towards Como hosted the underground garage and the heated outdoor swimming pool, also a Drytech tank and covered in Brazilian karst stone.

Project and Interior Design: Architetto Patricia Urquiola, Milano

Works management: Architetto Fabio Curcio Valentini, Como

Garden Design: Patrick Blanc, Parigi

Structure: Studio Faber, Parma

Construction: Costruzioni Carboncini & C., Lomazzo – Setten Genesio, Oderzo

Drytech Tank: 4’335 m²

Waterproofing of pools and whirlpools

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La façade Art Nouveau du Grand Hôtel des Îles Borromées

The waterproofing of the new indoor and outdoor pools and whirlpools in the SPA of the Hôtel des Iles Borromeés writes a new chapter in the fascinating history of this prestigious hotel.

In September 1918 a 19-year-old American soldier was wounded in the trenches and spent his convalescence in Stresa.

That boy is called Ernest Hemingway and, fascinated by the beauty of Lake Maggiore, he set part of his novel A Farewell to Arms – A Farewell to Arms, 1929 – there, making the Grand Hôtel des Iles Borromées famous throughout the world.

It is just one of the many connections with history that have built the legend of the great hotel, inaugurated in 1863.

With the opening of the Simplon railway tunnel, Stresa became a privileged destination for elite European tourism and, in 1919, was included in the sixth route of the Orient Express: the one which from London reaches Istanbul through Italy, via Milan, Venice and Trieste.

The Simplon Orient Express soon became the most successful route and getting off at Des Iles gave wealthy travelers their first evocative impact on the Bel Paese.

In over a century and a half of history, the Hôtel des Iles Borromeés has been able to adapt the concept of elegance to the evolution of times and tastes, without distorting its inimitable Art Nouveau style.

The new Spa was inaugurated in 2022, with wellness programs, saunas, Turkish baths, salt rooms, as well as indoor and outdoor swimming pools and hydromassage tubs, all made with the integral waterproofing of the Drytech Tank.

The speed of construction of the Drytech system allowed the Bellani company of Arona to remove the waterproofing activities from the work calendar, delivering the new structure in time for the opening of the grand season.

Drytech Engineering also designed the solution for a sensitive structural detail such as the passage between the internal and external swimming pool, subject to significant temperature variations depending on the season.

Project: Architect Statilio Ubiali, Verdellino

Structure: Eng. Marco Danioni, Dormelletto / Eng. Carlo Sammartini, Cassano Magnago

Testing: Architect Alberto Marzaro, Mercallo

Construction: Bellani, Arona

Drytech Tank: 2,850 m2

Waterproofing of the skyscrapers

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The theory of skyscrapers in Milan's Porta Nuova district, the basement of which was built with a 43,730 m² Drytech White Tank waterproof structure.

The waterproofing of the skyscrapers in Milan’s Porta Nuova district was carried out with 43,730 m² of Drytech Tank.

The masterplan of Milano Porta Nuova was signed by the Kohn Pedersen Fox studio of London, while the executive plan is the work of the Arquitectonica IC of Miami and m²P Associati of Milan, for the commissioning of Hines Italia and Galotti SpA.

3,000 m² are destined for the Municipality of Milan to make it a cultural center. The four underground levels, made with the Drytech Tank waterproofing system, house parking spaces for 2,000 cars.

Drytech has built 43,730 m² of waterproof underground structures with the White Tank System, collaborating with the designers of Arup Italia in Milan and coordinating with the CMB company for the preparatory activities for waterproofing which, being parallel to those of the construction site, are in fact been removed from the work calendar.

Owner: Hines< Italia / Gallotti Spa

Project: Kohn Pedersen Fox, Londra / Arquitectonica IC, Miami / m²P Associati, Milano

Structure: Arup Italia, Milano

Works Management: Engineer Coppi, Modena

Construction: CO, VAR: Sarl, Reggio Emilia

Waterproofing: Drytech Italia, Como

Drytech Tank: 43’730 m²

Waterproofing of the fuel tanks

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The fuel tanks of the service station of the new tourist port of Loano were built ashore by the company PB Lavori Marittimi of Ancona with the Drytech Tank technology

The waterproofing of the fuel tanks of the Loano marina represents the perfect application of the characteristics and qualities of the Drytech Tank.

The tanks of the new Loano harbour were built ashore by the company PB Lavori Marittimi Srl of Ancona in prefabrication on the pier and then launched at sea.

The construction of prefabricated tanks has the advantage of a more practical processing and with a higher quality standard, since the jet in water often produces gravel nests, regardless of the expertise and care of the diving technicians.

Where transport does not constitute an obstacle, the prefabricated tank is therefore preferred.

The tanks were built on the dock of the shipyard area of ​​the new port of Loano and Drytech Engineering collaborated with the designer already in the design phase, for the aspects related to waterproofing and the problems of transporting the tanks.

Made of XS2 exposure class waterproof concrete (submerged constructions in a marine environment), the tanks were again injected on the ground with DRYflex acrylic resin, which waterproofed the joints and shrinkage cracks by pressure. We then proceeded to lift and launch by sinking.

The 4 tanks were then welded with a crowning casting. Also this joint, prepared with the DRYset injection channel, was waterproofed for its entire thickness with DRYflex resin. After emptying it was therefore possible to carry out the final testing.

The Drytech Tank as a whole, and the DRYflex resin in particular, must ensure impermeability from aggressive elements such as sea water.

Construction: PB Maritime Works, Ancona

Waterproofing: Drytech Italy, Como

Waterproofing the diaphragm wall of a five-storey underground

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In Piazza Sant'Ambrogio in Milan, the company Borio Mangiarotti S.p.A. built a five-storey underground car park.

Waterproofing the diaphragm wall of a five-storey underground car park with the Drytech Tank system increased the internal volume and the number of available parking spaces.

In Piazza Sant’Ambrogio, in Milan, the construction company Borio Mangiarotti S.p.A. built a five-storey underground car park.

Drytech has designed a waterproofing system for the diaphragm, based on Injectable Waterstop Tapes.

By making the diaphragm waterproof directly, it was not necessary to create the lining wall, thus increasing both the internal volume to comply with the legal limits, and the surface, or the parking spaces available.

The Injectable Waterstop Tape for the joints between the partitions of the diaphragms is a Drytech patent that makes it possible to maintain the joint with ex-post injections of resin, performed in the event of any infiltrations.

The Drytech tape is laid with a special sheet piling which acts as a formwork of the diaphragm wall.

The diaphragm of the parking lot that flanks the Milanese basilica drops to a depth of 22.70 meters and the laying of a sheet pile of this size required special care by the company’s technicians, to ensure perfect alignment of the joints.

At the end of the casting, the sheet pile is extracted, equipped with a new belt and repositioned for the casting of the next septum.

The re-injectability of the DRYflex resin guarantees the possibility of carrying out maintenance on the diaphragm at any time, by intervening from inside the structure, without excavation or demolition and, above all, without having to close the car park.

Client: Comune di Milano

Structure: Ingegner Domenico Insigna, Milano

Construction: Borio Mangiarotti SpA, Milano

Drytech Tank:
Diaphragm: 5,600 m², h 22.70 m
Bed: 3,300 m²

Waterproofing of the private garages

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Architect Diego Fumagalli designed the Gioia Garden residences starting from the classic Milanese palace.

Drytech carried out the waterproofing of the underground level for the private garages of the Gioia Garden residences in Viale Melchiorre Gioia in Milan.

Architect Diego Fumagalli designed the Gioia Garden 1 and 2 residences starting from the stylistic features of the classic Milanese palace with which they border.

He created an architectural continuity made up of citations and references, which harmonizes the relationship between the two buildings, enhancing their formal differences.

Starting from this connection, the buildings in via Melchiorre Gioia 177/179 develop their own architectural identity, fitting perfectly into the context.

At the point of contact between the two buildings, the height of the volumes was respected and, in Gioia Garden 1 and 2, the string courses of the residential levels are barely mentioned, to conceal the slight differences in the height of the floors compared to the historic building.

Once continuity with the existing one has been established, the architecture of the new building unfolds all its character: with the articulation of the facade through the volumes of the terraces and the deep recesses of the winter gardens; with the hanging gardens dotting the building at different levels; with the three additional floors, progressively set back from the main facade.

The tallest volume itself contains a further reference, taking up the horizontal shutters that characterize nineteenth-century architecture.

Due to the presence of the aquifer and the proximity to the Naviglio della Martesana, all the underground structures, including garages, were built with a 2,753 m2 Drytech Tank.

Project: Architect Diego Fumagalli, Milan

Structure: STG engineering, Milan

Construction: Domus Service CO, Milan

Drytech Tank: 2,753 m2

Waterproofing of the futuristic station

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The futuristic RFI (Italian Railway Network) maintenance station in Mestre was designed to minimize the downtime of High Speed ​​Trains.

The waterproofing of the basement of the futuristic maintenance station with the Drytech Tank structure helped create a functional environment for the washing and maintenance of High Speed Trains.

The RFI (Italian Railway Network) station in Mestre was designed to minimise the downtime of High Speed Trains.

To make the washing and maintenance operations of the trains as fluid as possible, a structure has been created that allows trains to travel through the shed autonomously and for technicians to comfortably access all areas of the train, including the girth and roof.

250 meters of elevated track on columns were built for each of the 4 lanes of the workshop.

The 8,500 m² warehouse was fully fitted out with a removable rigid catenary, which allows the convoy to move without the towing of other tractors.

24 movable arms for each of the 4 internal tracks, equipped alternately with 12 motors, activate the displacement of the catenary once the train has reached the position, thus allowing to perform maintenance from above in total safety, through 7 service walkways elevated.

For girth operations, on the other hand, each raised aisle is equipped with an axle lowering system and Bertolotti opening tracks, which facilitate work on wheels and trolleys.

The equipment is completed by the mighty 10-tonne Demag overhead crane, with safety sensors.

In this regard, each track is also equipped with an individual safety system operated by sequential interlocking locks.

To connect the area to the railway network outside the shed, 5 km of tracks were laid, which create the access routes both to the internal tracks of the shed and to the two external tracks of the area used for washing the trains.

The internal installation was completed in record time in just 105 days!

The peculiarities of the Drytech Tank System contributed to this result.

The fact that the installation and injection activities of the Drytech System are parallel and independent from other construction site activities, and from the weather, has actually made it possible to eliminate waterproofing from the time schedule, accelerating the construction site as a whole.

Furthermore, the control of the shrinkage crack guaranteed by the Drytech Tank has considerably speeded up the casting operations.

Ownership: RFI – Italian Railway Network, Roma

Works Management: RFI – Ing. Francesca Perrone, Padova

Structure: Sogen, Padova

Construction:
Quadrio Gaetano Costruzioni, Talamona / Notari Costruzioni Speciali, Aqui Terme

Drytech Tank: 7,600 m²

Waterproofing of a completely underground house

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The roof of Casa Riga is the lawn in which it is set, thanks to the Drytech White Tank waterproofing, consisting of Drytech waterproof concrete bed, walls and slab.

The waterproofing of a completely underground house was realised with a complete Drytech Tank: waterproof bedplate, walls and slab.

Riga House is a truly special farmhouse overlooking Comano Terme.

The idea was to create a house for a family of farmers and an farmhouse for their guests within a farm, without interrupting the precious continuity of an Alpine landscape made up of orchards and sloping meadows.

An ambitious request, to which Studio Stefania Saracino and Franco Tagliabue Architetti gave a radical response, setting the Casa Riga directly in the mountain just outside Comano Terme, in Trentino.

The structures in contact with the ground, bed and walls in contact with the ground, were built with the Drytech Tank System.

Project: Saracino Tagliabue Architects, Bolzano / Como

Structure: Ing. Giovanni Periotto, Trento

Construction: Damiani-Holz&Ko, Bressanone

Energy: Energytech, Bolzano

Photo: Davide Cornacchini, Venice

Drytech Tank: 725 m²

Waterproofing of a railway subway

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The Trenord railway subway at Saronno, built in six days without interrupting upper railway traffic.

The waterproofing of a railway subway was achieved in just six days and without blocking train traffic thanks to the characteristics of the Drytech Tank.

The Trenord railway subway at Saronno is a demonstration of how one road can be opened without closing another.

The route of a new section of the Trenord railway intersects the Milan-Varese line at Saronno Sud.

The subway that allows the crossing was built in just six days and without interrupting the railway traffic on the line above.

The top-down or Berliner technique was adopted. First, micropiles were driven into the ground to form the bulkheads of the two shoulders of the subway. One section of track was removed, diverting traffic onto the other.

Then the excavation and casting of the Drytech waterproof concrete slab was carried out, supporting the bulkheads and prepared with DRYset crack control elements. The entire operation took only three days, at the end of which the track was restored.

The procedure was then repeated on the other track. After a further three days, the line returned to full operation, with both tracks open.
Excavation was then carried out under the slab, the casting of the slab for the track bed of the subway, and finally the re-cast, directly against the micropiles.

Once the concrete was cured, the joints, punctures and planned cracks were injected with DRYflex Resin, which expanded and sealed them by pressure.

Drytech Engineering provided advice on aspects relating to waterproofing, collaborating with the structural engineer already in the design phase of the underpass.

Ownership: Ferrovie Trenord, Milano

Structure: Studio I.R. Ingegneri Riuniti – Ing. Giuseppe Barbagallo, Catania

Constraction: SALCEF Spa, Roma

Drytech Tank: 1,800 m²