Basements

Waterproofing large underground car park

by
Three of the five buildings that make up the Aletsch Campus.

Drytech carried out the waterproofing of the large underground car park below the 5 new buildings on the former Gertschen site.

In the centre of Naters, five new buildings with a public car park, an information centre for visitors to the Swiss Alps Jungfrau-Aletsch UNESCO World Heritage Site, as well as offices, retail space and flats were constructed on an area of 7,000 square metres.

Designed by architects N4 from Bolzano and Padua, the Aletsch Campus now houses the ‘World Nature Forum’.

The waterproof Drytech Tank structure used to build the underground car park and its ramps is designed to withstand even flooding from the Rhone.

Owner: AXA Leben AG, Winterthur

Global contractor: Baulink AG Generalunternehmung, Bern

Structur: ARGE Dr. J. Grob AG, Winterthur / SRP Schneller Ritz und Partner, Brig

Project: omg + partner architekten ag, Winterthur / Francesco Minniti, Bozen

Timber construction: Renggli AG, Schötz

Construction: ARGE Aletsch Campus Frutiger AG, Thun / Walpen AG, Visp

Photos: © Renggli AG, Schötz / Baulink  Generalunternehmung, Bern

Waterproofing: 6’660 m2 Drytech Wanne

waterproofing garage basements pools

by
Infinity pool of the Reka holiday village in Albonago, built with the Drytech Tank.

Drytech carried out the waterproofing of the garage, the basements, the swimming pools and the wellness area of the Reka village in Albonago.

“Making holidays and free time accessible to all”: it was with this objective that the Swiss Travel Fund (Reka) was founded in 1939, founded by visionary entrepreneurs, trade unions and tourism and transport companies. At the time, travel and holidays were prerogative of an elite.

Reka was created with the aim of making them accessible to an ever-increasing number of families, initially with a targeted savings system, then by developing its own holiday offers at affordable prices.

Reka has expanded and reconfigured the tourist village of Albonago with an investment of 33 million francs, creating 49 apartments, two hotel rooms, a tavern/pizzeria, a panoramic swimming pool, a wellness area, a bicycle station, areas for barbecues and playgrounds, for approximately 270 guests.

Drytech created all the waterproof structures of the car park, underground areas, swimming pools and wellness area with the Drytech Tank.

One of the symbols of the Reka village is undoubtedly the infinity pool overlooking Lake Ceresio, with an incomparable view that embraces the entire Gulf of Lugano, the iconic Mount San Salvatore and extends to the horizon as far as Malcantone. A privilege truly available to all families.

Preliminary project: Itten+Brechbühl, Lugano

Project: Charles De Ry Architettura, Paradiso

Structure: Pianifica, Locarno

Direzione Lavori: Implenia Building, Besso

Construction: Barella, Chiasso e Giovanni Quadri, Cadempino

Drytech Tank: 5’360 m2

Concrete basement waterproofing

by
The Cube in Rapperswill is an office building clad in steel panels.

Cube is a flexible office building that strives for energy self-sufficiency, with its exposed concrete basement made of Drytech Tank waterproofing.

The incidence of sunlight on the aluminium panels covering the façades creates a sophisticated changing effect throughout the day.

Inside, the oak wood gives the furnishings a deliberately essential yet warm quality in the colour scheme.

Owner: St. Galler Pensionskasse, St. Gallen

General contractor: Implenia Schweiz AG, St. Gallen

Structur: Böhler Walter AG, Jona

Project: Kaufmann Architekten AG, Jona

Construction: Martelli Agosti AG, Jona

Waterproofing: Drytech Tank 1’250 m2

Waterproofing the underground levels

by
Rendering of the redevelopment project of the historic skyscraper known as the ‘Pirellino’. with the addition of a Podium drawing an open square directly connected to Corso Como and the Porta Nuova district of Milan.

Waterproofing the underground levels of Corso Como Place with the Drytech Tank system is consistent with the overall approach of the project, which represents the new frontier of smart building.

A building model that combines energy efficiency and environmental sustainability with a new experience for users and an evolved concept of living comfort.

What makes the project even more special is that it starts from the renovation of a building from the 1960s.

The Pirellino, as it was called by the Milanesi, stands in the center of the new Milan of Gae Aulenti Square, Corso Como, Eataly and the Feltrinelli Foundation & Microsoft House.

An iconic and very central place, which has stimulated a revolutionary project.

Corso Como Place is a complete redevelopment project, symbol of an architectural and urban planning path that creates beauty without destroying the existing one, starting from the enhancement of the Tower designed by Francesco Diomede, Giuseppe and Carlo Rusconi Clerici, converted to modernity in the sign of innovation.

At its foot stands a Podium that draws an open square directly connected to Corso Como and the Porta Nuova district.

The environmental sustainability of the buildings is guaranteed by the Nearly Zero Energy Building international standard.

The photovoltaic system chosen for the structures, the use of geothermal energy, which covers over 65% of the annual requirement, and the high-performance facades with automatic solar shading devices, allow very high energy performance and maximum reduction of CO2 emissions.

Furthermore, the choice of the Drytech Tank for the hypogeum ensured the impermeability of the underground structure not only to water, but also to radon.

A smartphone application allows everyone to customize their work environment, by intervening on lighting, temperature and shading.

Underground parking can be booked in real time based on the availability of free parking spaces and the IoT sensors (the Internet of Things) will monitor the noise level of the offices and the quality of the air, to ensure comfort and well-being for users.

With a role as a hub for green mobility paths and green areas, as well as a driving force for the redevelopment of the area, Corso Como Place represents a beautiful example of how architecture and construction technology can transfer a historic building into the future.

Asset & Development Management: COIMA, Milano

General Contractor: ICM, Vicenza

Project: PLP Architecture International, Londra

Structure: CEAS, Milano

Construction: ICM, Vicenza

Drytech Tank: 4,500 m²

Waterproofing of basement and fountains

by
Aerial view of the Polis multipurpose centre in Pregassona.

Drytech has created the waterproofing of the basement of the Polis Centre with the Drytech Tank and the surfaces of the fountains with the Drycoat architectural coating.

The plan of Polis Multifunctional Center in Pregassona is a double L that welcomes and embraces, enhancing the sense of openness towards the outside. An architecture that is both symbolic and functional, which guides routes, creates aggregations and integrates the Center into the urban fabric.

The structure was designed by Studio Mario Campi, winner of the international competition in 2008. The subsequent development of the work was managed by the architect Rosario Galgano, until the inauguration in 2021.

The complex is an important resource of the social services network for the elderly in the Lugano area.

On the lower level, the nursery, with its own outdoor play area, overlooks the courtyard, which contributes to the intergenerational and interconnected character of the Polis Centre.

The opposite wing instead houses the structures for the functionality of the centre: radiology, underground car parks, supplier entrance, technical rooms, etc.

This level, partially buried in the profile of the hill, is made with the waterproof  Drytech Tank structure.

Drytech also created the waterproof covering of the courtyard pools, with the continuous Drycoat covering in two colors obtained from the mixture of quartz sands (not from paints) and therefore resistant to continuous exposure to atmospheric agents, without chromatic degradation.

The complex, like every new building in the city, complies with the Minergie energy standard, significantly reducing energy needs. Furthermore, the Polis Center is unique for the self-production of electricity, through an integrated photovoltaic system (BIPV) which exploits both the horizontal surfaces of the roof and those of the facades, equipped with a further 1,600 meters2 of photovoltaic panels.

Project: Studio Mario Campi

Executive project: Architect Rosario Galgano, Lugano

Structure: Afry Engineering, Rivera

Construction: Consortium Garzoni – Rizzani De Eccher

Drytech Tank: 2’900 m2

Waterproofing the double underground gymnasium

by
The CPC double gym in Chiasso is the victory of lightness over weight, interaction over separation, flexibility over rigidity.

Waterproofing the double underground gymnasium, designed by architects Baserga and Mozzetti in fair-faced concrete.

The CPC double gym in Chiasso is the victory of lightness over weight, interaction over separation, flexibility over rigidity.

The duality between the podium and the covering volume of the room is defined by a detachment, produced by a punctual support on all four sides.

Through this suspension, the monolithic volume appears very light, to the point of seeming to be held back – rather than supported – by the four lateral Vs.

The detachment connects the interior space with the urban and natural elements that surround the gym. An interaction that places it in the context of the school and cultural campus, weaving various relationships with the peculiar elements of the place.

The building reacts to different situations and topographical differences. To the north it has an access terrace, in relation to the school buildings and access from the public car park. To the south, a flight of steps in relation to the small garden.

A delimitation of the road field and the existing square to the east. Finally, it is at the same level as the m.a.x Museum and the Spazio Officina, sharing their public vocation.

The podium is a Drytech tank. The insulation of the internal facades is protected by an exposed wooden strip in the lower part and by an acoustic paneling in the upper part.

From an energy point of view, the building meets the criteria of the Minergie standard.

Client: Canton Ticino logistics section

Project: Architetti Nicola Baserga e Christian Mozzetti, Muralto

Structure: Ingegneri Andrea e Eugenio Pedrazzini, Lugano

Construction: Mafledil, Osogna

Drytech Tank: 2’128 m²

Waterproofing the underground garage

by
The beautiful building designed by Gieffe Studio has a north-facing façade with completely windows

Waterproofing the underground garage of a beautiful building with a completely windowed north façade.
Rules are made (also) to be broken.

The choice of Gieffe Studio’s project is dictated by the shape of the site and made possible by the performance of modern thermal insulation systems and materials.

The three-family villa is set in a sloping plot facing north-west, with a 270° view of the Cassarate valley, which ranges from the Denti della Vecchia to Lake Lugano.

Gieffe Studio has therefore designed ultra-panoramic window walls for the living areas, recessed and re-oriented with respect to the front of the building, thus guaranteeing the interiors natural lighting and correct sun protection in all seasons and favoring the view of the mountains on the north façade and of the lake on the west.

At street level there is the garage, connected to the floors by an internal lift, and built with a 700 m2 Drytech Tank. The main entrance is located on the south side, at the height of the third floor.

The rationalist design is made organic by the warm travertine stone cladding and the changing reflection of the mountains and the sky that is projected onto the large windows and the elegant glass railings.
The cut and the different tones of the stones lighten the large continuous wall on the mountain side, harmoniously inserting the volume into the gentle slope of the land.

Project: Gieffe Studio, Lugano

Structure: Eng. Lucini Cesare, Paradiso

Construction: Gtl, Gravesano

Drytech Tank: 700 m2

Waterproofing basement garage

by
A brutalist structure in red concrete makes the historic seat of the municipality of Bioggio contemporary. Architects Bronner and Bruno.

Waterproofing of the basement garage of the brutalist red concrete structure that makes the historic seat of the town hall of Bioggio contemporary.

Work of the architects Lorenzo Bronner and Luciana Bruno, the intervention added a large external staircase to the eastern façade, incorporated into a thin reinforced concrete frame that recalls the Venetian red of the nineteenth-century building.

A perfect connection between past and present, reiterated and at the same time modernized by the deep frames that define the window spaces. The constant module of the openings on the facades of the original body becomes asymmetrical and intermittent on the new facade, yet recognizable in the grid hinted at by the occasional openings.

The clear stringcourses of the original body connect to the frames of the glass walls that incorporate the new external staircase, establishing a further connection between the stylistic features of the two architectures.

In continuity with the concrete wall, the architects Bronner and Bruno designed a podium in which the large basement garage for police vehicles is located. The podium slab is covered with a large grassy surface that interacts with the brutalist façade.

Two external staircases in the same color as the structure allow access to the entrance level. The footboards of the steps were waterproofed with the Drycoat covering which, thanks to the flexibility of the quartz colour, made the stairs perfectly in tone and integrated with the rest of the intervention.

Project: Bronner+Bruno Architetti, Bioggio

Structure: Engineering Studio Reali Guscetti, Quinto

Construction: Taddei, Viganello

Drytech Tank: 600 m2

Waterproofing a logistics hub

by

Waterproofing a logistics hub realised with the Drytech Tank structure: the Service Centre (DLC) of Walter Meier (Climate Switzerland) AG is a 12,000 square metre storage area that serves efficient and ecologically optimised logistics.

The company is integrating energy efficiency into the new building: the DLC is built according to the Minergie standard and the building services are equipped with state-of-the-art technology.

For example, with the use of a large PICO heat pump for heating and cooling.
A photovoltaic system with 4,200 panels is also installed on the 7,200 square metre roof.

Properties

Property: Walter Meier AG, Schwerzenbach

Project: Frei Architekten AG, Aarau

Structure: Eichenberger AG, Muhen

Costruction: Estermann AG, Geuensee

Waterproofing: 6’095 m2 Drytech Tank

Waterproofing a five-storey underground car park

by
Drytech Tank system for the 5 floors of the underground car park of Palazzo Mantegazza, 15 meters from Lake Lugano, in the presence of a water table head of 18.80 metres.

Waterproofing a five-storey underground car park below the level of the lake, with a water table of 18.80 metres.

The underground parking garage of Palazzo Mantegazza in Lugano was built on the lakeshore underwater, using the hanging formwork technique: after the completion of the diaphragm walls, the ground floor slab is cast, leaving openings through which excavation is carried out down to the level of slab -1.

Then the formwork already used for the zero slab is lowered and, once it has reached level -1, the new slab is cast on it. And so on up to the bed, at level -5.

The walls of the Drytech Tank are made directly against the diaphragm, obtaining both the lining and the wall itself in a single casting.

Project: Camponovo Architetti & Associati, Breganzona

Structure: Studio Ingg. Mantegazza e Cattaneo, Sorengo

Construction: Garzoni SA, Lugano

Drytech Tank: 6’600 m²