At the €410 million Aviva Stadium in Dublin, more than 8,000m2 of Grace’s Preprufe® waterproofing membrane was chosen to deliver outstanding levels of watertightness – further enhancing the company’s reputation and proven track record for delivering waterproof protection at the world’s most important structures.

Designed by architects Populous and Scott Tallon Walker to provide a stunning new home for international rugby and football in Ireland, the building was also built to work in harmony with the local community and ensure minimal environmental impact. With long term waterproofing performance, reliability and success at high-profile projects worldwide – Preprufe® offered the perfect solution to ensure waterproof protection under the stands and beneath slabs in all the stadium’s habitable areas.

Preprufe® is an advanced membrane system which offered the safest and most reliable waterproofing option. Designed with synthetic adhesive layers, Grace’s patented Advanced Bond Technology™ enables concrete to aggressively adhere to Preprufe®, forming a unique intimate seal which prevents any water migration between the waterproofing and the structure, substantially reducing the risk of leaks.

No other system on the market protects a substructure from the harmful effects of water, vapour and gas better than Preprufe®. It can also be applied on wet concrete and is immediately trafficable after installation, which makes for fast and easy installation.

Utilising an advanced acrylic surface coating developed by Grace, the Preprufe® membrane also simplifies the installation process by removing multiple layers and complicated detailing. Protective layers of concrete or boards are eliminated, reducing the depth of excavation and spoil, whilst the number of materials to be sourced are minimised, all accelerating the critical path of the project programme and ensuring the project was delivered on time.

Grace completed the specification with 7,000m2 of Bituthene® 8000 self adhesive waterproofing membrane. Applied to the retaining walls around the stadium stands, the ultra-tough Bituthene® membrane has been tested to withstand more than 70 metres head of water when fully supported, so will ensure the watertight continuity of Grace’s fully bonded waterproofing system.
As well as the extensive application of Preprufe® and Bituthene® to the main stadium areas set to host 51,700 spectators, Grace also provided waterproofing protection to the pedestrian underpass and access tunnel into underground car park. For this Grace supplied Adprufe® 100 – the waterproof concrete system which combines Preprufe® with 4,500m2 of Grace’s Hydroduct® CF drained cavity systems for enhanced protection in critical application.

Completed in 2010, the Aviva stadium has welcomed a new era of stadium construction by combining contemporary design elements with the versatility to host major sporting and music events. Thanks to the specification of the Preprufe® from Grace, the stadium will continue to offer unrivalled sporting and event facilities in a stylish venue for many years to come.