The $83 million Hollywood Bread Tower multi-use complex in Hollywood, Florida, welcomed its first residents in January 2025. PENETRON ADMIX SB, a crystalline waterproofing admixture, was specified as the concrete waterproofing solution for the below-grade concrete structures of the tower.
Located on Florida’s east coast between Miami and Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood is a rapidly growing city of around 155,000 inhabitants, making it the fifth largest in the Miami metropolitan area. Home to Port Everglades, a passenger and cargo shipping hub, the city also has the Art and Culture Center and Hollywood Central Performing Arts Center.
Designed by Modis Architects, the Hollywood Bread Tower is less than 2 miles (3.2 km) from the beach and the Hollywood Boardwalk, directly east of the 25-story apartment tower. Built on the site of the former 11-story headquarters of the Hollywood Bread Company, the new mixed-use complex features 362 luxury apartment units and 16,000 ft2 (1,455 m2) of retail space at the western end of downtown Hollywood. Amenities include a fitness center and outdoor swimming pool.
“Typical for the geology of Southern Florida, the Hollywood Bread Tower is situated at a site with very high groundwater, exposure to percolating rainwater, and seawater flooding,” adds Richard Farmer, Eastern Regional Sales Manager for Penetron USA. “Thanks to the success of our waterproofing admixture in many similar projects across Florida, Penetron was chosen over competitive waterproofing solutions.”
PENETRON ADMIX SB was specified for below-grade concrete elements of the Hollywood Bread Tower, including the elevator pits, pile caps, foundation slab, and retaining walls.
Bliss & Nyitray, the structural engineer, specified PENETRON ADMIX SB, a crystalline waterproofing admixture delivered in soluble bags. Adonel Concrete, the ready-mix concrete supplier, added PENETRON ADMIX SB to the concrete mix during the batching phase. About 3,200 yds3 of concrete were treated with the admixture for the Hollywood, Florida project.
Unaffected by climatic conditions, PENETRON ADMIX SB creates a non-soluble crystalline network, which forms throughout the pores and capillary tracts of the concrete.
“The resulting crystalline network significantly increases durability and the service life of concrete and also provides treated concrete elements with the ability to self-heal and seal any microcracks that may occur in the future,” says Richard Farmer. “This minimizes the need for future concrete repairs at the Hollywood Bread Tower.”
Concrete waterproofing baked in: The elevator pits, pile caps, foundation slab, and retaining walls of the Hollywood Bread Tower were treated with PENETRON ADMIX SB for durability.
