KEEPING INDIA’S BOOMING IT INDUSTRY WATERPROOF -

1.Harvard Business School/Taj Lands’ End

DESCRIPTION OF THE PROBLEM:

Harvard Business School (HBS) has recently launched a new amphitheater-style classroom, built and owned by the Taj Lands End, owned by the Indian Hotels Limited. This new space replicates the classrooms on the School's Boston campus, giving participants and students a true Harvard Business School case method learning experience, for the first time in India.

The Harvard Business School Campus at Taj Lands End was inaugurated by Mr. Ratan Tata himself in early March 2012.

The new HBS campus, with a seating capacity of up to 82 students, will offer state-of-the-art multi-media facilities that augment the educational experience of the students. The room, a first of its kind in India, is virtually indistinguishable from the MBA classrooms in Boston in terms of aesthetics as well as technology, IT infrastructure, telecommunication equipment and connectivity to Harvard Business School’s campuses all over the world. All together, the IT infrastructure and communications equipment is worth a cool 50 million US dollars. An obvious requirement was a state of the art fool proof waterproofing system that would guarantee continuous connectivity to HBS’s campuses world wide and ensure zero downtime.

The site chosen was underneath an exposed terrace about 14 years old. The project was undertaken in the monsoon of 2011 and the entire slab was leaking in multiple places with water gushing in through a variety of cracks, cutouts for pipes and a host of other imperfections in the old slab.

Upon removing the top IPS layer, an exceptionally large expansion joint about 5 cm wide was uncovered. The architect, as well as the clients were caught completely unawares and the leakages as well as the unanticipated expansion joints was threatening the feasibility of the site as well as the project completion deadline.

Fig 5: Harvard Business School, Taj Lands’ End Campus

Fig 6: Unanticipated Expansion Joint 5 cm wide on the Terrace above HBS

General Methodology used:

SURFACE PREPARATION

1.Remove all the existing layers of filing on the RCC slab and expose the RCC slab.

2.Clean the RCC surface of all loose particles, dust, cement laitance etc. Surface preparation is of prime importance as the degree of performance of the coating is directly proportional to the extent of cleaning.

3.After proper cleaning, Identify the construction joints, cracks, honeycombed areas etc. on the RCC surface and fill the cracks on the RCC surface using Polymer Modified rich mortar prepared by using POLYALK EP.

4.Apply a low viscosity crystalline surface penetrator sealant- SUNFLOOR METALLIN over the cast in situ slabs in three coats

5.Allow the material to penetrate into the slab for sealing the RCC pores.

Fig 7: Surface Preparation and cleaning using air suction device

WATERPROOFING SYSTEM:

1.Provide and apply a primer coat of FLEXIROOF –PU PRIMER on the cleaned RCC slab surface using a soft paint brush. Shake the container well and directly apply the primer by brush. Allow to set for 30-45 minutes depending on the ambient temperature.

2.After the primer has totally cured and dried, apply FLEXIROOF-PU by brush, roller or airless spray equipment. Apply at a rate of 1kg/sq.m. for the first coat evenly over the primer surface and allow to cure for 12-24 hours.

3.Extend the coating on the sides of the walls and aluminum glazing frames up to 300mm.

4.After ensuring that the first coat is set and cured, apply the second coat in similar manner at a rate of 0.5 kg/sqm and allow to cure.

5.While the second coat is has reasonably hardened but still wet and tacky on surface (say after 12 hours), sprinkle sand over the surface to make it rough so as to provide mechanical key for the protective screed.

6.Allow the two coats of FLEXIROOF-PU to dry for 2-3 days before proceeding with the protective screed.

7.Lay the protective screed over the same in CM 1:4 in average thickness of 10-12mm and cure the same.

8.Admix one pouch of anti-shrinkage admixture- SUNPLEX (330gms pouch) per 50 Kg bag of cement in the protective screed mortar.

9.Provide IPS over the protective screed in required thickness and slope.

Fig 8: Application of Flexiroof PU – liquid applied, moisture cured, elastomeric, modified polyurethane membrane

VAPOUR BARRIER COATING:

1.Clean the surface using air blowers BUT ensure that surface is DRY.

2.Mix SUNEPISEAL primer in a plastic container in the ratio 4 part of Part-A and 1 parts of Part-B using a low speed air driven stirrer. Mix uniformly to form a brushable consistency.

3.Apply this as a priming coat of SUNEPISEAL 478 coating over the cleaned dry surface using paint brush and allow to dry.

4.After the primer has dried apply two coats of SUNEPITOP by mixing in a plastic container in the ratio 4 part of Part-A and 1 part of Part-B using a low speed air driven stirrer. Mix uniformly to form a brushable consistency.

5.Apply this coating at 24 hours interval between each coat.

6.Extend the entire application up to 1.0 meter over the side walls and aluminum frame.

7.Do not allow foot traffic for next 48-72 hours till full cured.

1.Case Study I - Edelweiss/IBM

2.Case Study II - GPX Global Systems

3. Keeping India's booming IT industry waterproof

About author

Ms. Ishita Manjrekar is a director at Sunanda Speciality Coatings Pvt. Ltd and oversees Sunanda’s R&D, with a specific focus on developing and marketing Sunanda’s line of sustainable construction chemicals. In this role, Ishita draws on 4 years of rich experience in sustainability at Primary Global Research in San Francisco and New York. While at Primary Global Research Ishita led the “Green Technologies” business unit. She has been invited to feature on Bloomberg TV as well as Bloomberg Radio numerous times as a subject matter expert on sustainability and green technologies.

Ms. Manjrekar expertise has also been sought by multiple print media including Reuters, Financial Times, Bloomberg, Forbes, BBC News and Market Watch. Ms. Manjrekar has travelled to over 20 countries and regularly publishes research papers on sustainability and green construction chemicals in journals of national and international repute. Most recently she was invited to present a paper on sustainable solutions being developed in Sunanda’s ISO 9001:2008 certified R&D lab at ACI’s Spring Convention in Pittsburgh USA. Ishita also spoke on the latest innovations in sustainable underwater concreting practices at the International Conference on Sustainability organized by the India Chapter of American Concrete Institute at Mumbai. As an expert in green construction chemicals, Ishita is often invited to be on peer review panels for papers published in National and International publications.

Ms. Manjrekar holds a Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from the Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai (erstwhile UDCT). She also holds a Master’s degree in Chemical Engineering from Rensselaer (RPI) in New York, USA.