Construction Solutions in Stavros Foundation | Sika

Sika high-performance sealing and bonding solutions were used in Athens to construct the Stavros Niarchos Foundation; a world-leading philanthropic organization that offers cultural grants. Designed by Renzo Piano Building Workshop, the project involved constructing new facilities for the National Library of Greece and the Greek National Opera, as well as the creation of the 210,000 m² Stavros Niarchos Park.

Project Participants

Project Requirements

Sika was involved in every phase of the project, proposing the most appropriate materials and systems based on the specifications, and giving practical technical evaluations and support on-site. Sika's experience and technical expertise led to solutions that saved both time and cost, increasing the durability and thereby the service life and sustainability of the project. Sika materials and systems are used from the foundations to the roof.

Sika Solutions

• Canal Waterproofing
  The new canal was waterproofed using a reinforced, built-up Sika sheet membrane system; Sikaplan®. This ensured fully watertight connections, joints and terminations, by connecting it directly to the retaining concrete structures using Sika® Waterbars and Sika engineered waterstops.
• Below Ground Waterproofing
  The Sika watertight concrete system for below-grade structures included:
  
  • Waterproof concrete prepared using special Sika water resisting admixtures
  • Sika engineered jointing systems, including Sika® Waterbars, plus additional Sika waterstops, such as SikaSwell®-A water swelling profiles
  • Built-up Sikaplan® WP-1100 15HL sheet waterproofing system, incorporating geotextiles and integral drainage layer for the deep basement
  • Special SikaFuko® VT-1 injection hoses for easy re-injection and sealing in case of any future ground movement at the diaphragm walls
• Structural and Architectural Concrete
  Approximately 150,000 m³ of 10 different classes of structural and architectural concrete with different technical characteristics such as uniform color and smoothness were required. Sika admixtures were incorporated into all concrete mixes. Final fair-faced concrete mix designs were based on self-compacting concrete using Sika® ViscoCrete® Ultra-600 superplasticizers with Sika® Stabilizer®-4R viscosity modifiers. Sika® Separol® W-320 and Antisol® systems were used for demolding and controlled water evaporation from curing concrete surfaces.
• Seismic Isolation Systems
  The new opera and library buildings are built on specially designed seismic isolation systems placed between vertical bearing elements and building foundations. For the installation, a special one-component, fiber reinforced, cementitious grout from the SikaGrout®-312 RFA range was selected.
• Roof Waterproofing
  For all flat roofs, a system was selected from the comprehensive Sika range of roof deck waterproofing systems. For the single-ply membrane roof build-ups, this was Sarnafil® TG 66-20 - multilayer, anti-root, synthetic roof waterproofing sheet based on premium-quality flexible polyolefins (FPO), reinforced with an inlay of non-woven glass fabric according to EN 13956.
• Ferro-cement Canopy Method
  The huge canopy of the Greek National Opera building is one of the most important architectural and structural elements of the design. It had to be lightweight and compact with a perfectly smooth and continuous surface, which led to the selection of an unusual material - ferro-cement. Ferro-cement is a thin, composite material that can be easily molded for lightweight structures, but not normally done on this scale nor for such structural applications. The appearance and performance of the cement mortar were of critical importance. Sika engineers and concrete technicians provided assistance from inception through to successful completion on-site - including detailed raw material analysis, mix design and testing in the laboratory and on-site.
• Ferro-cement Canopy Waterproofing
  The selected waterproofing system was liquid applied, polyurea resin-based membrane system Sikalastic®-8800, which was spray applied onto the primed surface using two-component, hot spray equipment. A protective, polyurethane resin-based, highly UV resistant, top coating of SikaCor® EG-5 was then applied. Finally, the waterproofed surface of the ferro-cement canopy was covered with photovoltaic panels, which contribute to the project's sustainability, significantly reducing its CO2 footprint.
• Car Parking Garage Flooring
  The multi-story, underground parking facility had concrete deck surfaces that needed protection from abrasion and wear. Polyurethane and epoxy deck coating systems from Sika were applied throughout. A special Sika polyurethane resin-based system was specified - Sikafloor® MultiFlex PB-21 UV - which is a highly aesthetic, anti-slip, crack bridging flooring system featuring high resistance against abrasion and noise minimization qualities. On the parking area under the opera, the uniform color, epoxy roller-coating system Sikafloor® MultiDur ES-14 was applied. All Sikafloor® systems carry a LEED attestation regarding VOC content.
• Elastic Sealing and Bonding
  The aesthetic appearance of the wood flooring in the opera building was paramount, this was installed using the elastic, one-component, polyurethane resin adhesives from the SikaBond®-54/-52 Parquet range. All concrete floor joints and building facade joints in concrete substrates were sealed and made watertight using Sikaflex® WS-355 polyurethane resin-based sealants. Sealing the natural white marble stone floor and wall tile joints was done using a special one-component, silicone resin-based Sikasil® WS-355 sealant, which is approved for contact with natural stone and does not stain.

Products Used

• Concrete Production
  540 tons superplasticizer Sika® ViscoCrete® series
  29 tons superplasticizer Sika® ViscoCrete® Ferro-1000
  61 tons waterproofing admixture Sika®-1+
  123 tons silica fume SikaFume®
  10.5 tons stabilizer Sika® Stabilizer
  130 tons retarder Sika® Plastiment
  29 tons evaporation control membrane Sika® Antisol®
  2.7 tons curing membrane Sika® Antisol®
  5 tons demolding agent Sika® Separol®
• Waterproofing
  200 meters of injection hoses SikaFuko® VT-1
  4.2 km seawater swellable profiles SikaSwell® A-2010M
  2.6 km swellable profiles SikaSwell® A-2010 / A-2005
  750 cartridges of swellable sealant SikaSwell® S-2
  4.7 km Sika® Waterbars
  2.75 tons cementitious waterproofing mortar SikaTop® Seal 107
  4,100 m2 PVC waterproofing membrane Sikaplan®
  15,400 m2 PVC waterproofing membrane Sikaplan® WP (Blue-UV stabilized)
  480 m2 drainage membrane Sika® Drain-S
  20,100 m2 geotextile S-Felt A 300 F
  13,700 m2 geotextile S-Felt GK 400
  24 tons sprayed liquid-applied membrane (LAM) Sikalastic®-8800
• Roof Waterproofing
  2,900 m2 bituminous roofing felt Sika® Bituseal
  1,800 m2 FPO membrane Sarnafil® 2 mm
  36,520 m2 FPO membrane Sarnafil® TG 66-20
  680 m2 PVC membrane Sikaplan® 1.5 mm
  500 kg sprayed liquid-applied membrane Sikalastic®-612
  320 m2 adhered FPO membrane Sarnafil® 1.2 mm
• Repair Mortars, Anchoring and Grouting
  2 tons cementitious repair mortar Sika MonoTop®-627
  2 tons cementitious repair mortar Sika MonoTop® Dynamic
  2 tons cementitious repair mortar Sika MonoTop®-621 Evolution
  1.8 tons Sikadur® Epoxy Mortar
  112 tons cementitious grouts SikaGrout®
  5,784 kg epoxy chemical anchors Sika AnchorFix®-3+
  4.65 tons protective coating SikaCor® EG-5
• Elastic Sealing and Bonding
  5,680 sausages of elastic polyurethane-based sealants for facade joints Sikaflex® AT Facade / Construction+ / SikaHyflex®-250 Facade
  146 liters of epoxy primers Sika® Primer-3
  6,800 sausages of elastic polyurethane-based sealants for floor joints Sikaflex® Pro-3
  417 cartridges of special silicone for natural stone Sikasil®
  1.62 tons cementitious tile grout SikaCeram® CleanGrout
  3.7 km joint backer rod Sika® Backing Rod
  2,315 cartridges of multipurpose sealant and adhesive Sikaflex®-11 FC+
  4,800 sausages of engineered silicone Sikasil® WS
  1,300 cartridges of fire-rated sealant EverBuild Fire Sealant-300
  5 tons of elastic wood floor adhesive SikaBond®-54 Parquet
  950 sausages of elastic wood floor adhesive SikaBond®-52 Parquet
• Industrial Flooring
  200 tons dryshake hardener Sika QuartzTop – Chapdur® Premix
  4 tons epoxy primer Sikafloor®-156
  7 tons epoxy primer Sikafloor®-161
  33 tons polyurethane deck coating Sikafloor®-375
  17 tons polyurethane top coat Sikafloor®-359 N
  9 tons epoxy deck coating Sikafloor®-264