The Situation
Located in the heart of Portland’s boutique NW 21st Street shopping area, “The Almr” is a 65,000 square-foot, four-story mixed-use building recently designed by Emerick Architects. During construction, it became apparent that the 215 mm hot rubber membrane specified for a section of precast decking would exceed the clearance needed for the deck doors to open and close.

Also, each deck contained an expansion joint around its perimeter. This, combined with the specification tolerances, resulted in an unsupported gap on three sides of the deck which could move and become problematic over time. A unique detail was needed in order to support the gap for long-term durability as well as prevent water intrusion.

The Solution
To enable the proper door clearances, Henry proposed the Pumadeq System – a cold fluid-applied, monolithic waterproofing solution that would reduce the finished decking surface height substantially. To ensure the durability and proper detailing at the expansion joint, the Henry Technical Support Team went to work, providing a unique detail utilizing Pumadeq Primer 20 PMMA-based primer and Pumadeq Flex 31MV flashing membrane.

Next, the installation team installed two coats of Pumadeq 30SL Cold Fluid-Applied, PUMA waterproofing membrane in just one hour. Lastly, installers applied 30 wet mils of Pumadeq Grip 40 wear coat and then broadcast sand to refusal into the still wet material.

The Results
The Henry Pumadeq System reduced what would have been a surface thickness of 215 mm to 125 mm, allowing enough space for the doors to open and close. Additionally, the Henry Pumadeq System made what would have been a six-person job if installing hot rubberized asphalt, a three-person job. Because of the overall logistics of the particular job site, this resulted in significant cost and time savings. Finally, the one-hour installation time for two coats of the Pumadeq Flex 30SL waterproofing membrane reduced overall project time substantially, as other systems can typically require six to eight-hours of curing time in-between coats.