The opening ceremony of the Donelson Branch Public Library in June 2024 unveiled Nashville’s newest library – and the centerpiece of the rejuvenated Donelson Plaza town center. PENETRON ADMIX, a crystalline waterproofing admixture, was used to protect the library’s below-grade concrete structures from the area’s high groundwater levels.
A Nashville, Tennessee, neighborhood about 6 miles (10 km) east of downtown and only 3 miles from Nashville International Airport, Donelson is named in honor of John Donelson, co-founder of Nashville and father-in-law of Andrew Jackson.
The new Donelson Branch Public Library is a centerpiece of a renewed Donelson Plaza, a neighborhood center and shopping hub, which is in the midst of a mixed-use overhaul with new apartments, townhouses, parking areas, and a green space next to the new library.
Hastings Architecture designed the two-floor mid-century style library. The 25,000 feet2 project also includes an attached 2-story parking deck with the majority of spaces located below the building. The interior layout features a large multi-purpose room for community events, a “creative area” for children, a teen room, private study rooms, and seating and study tables throughout the library. The exterior layout adds outside seating, bike racks, and a large public lawn. The installation of solar panels, geothermal heating and cooling, and electric vehicle charging stations is also included as part of the project’s LEED Gold certification effort.
Due to the high groundwater level at the Nashville construction site, Messer Construction, the project’s general contractor, asked Penetron to provide a durable concrete mix design with a very low permeability. As a result, PENETRON ADMIX was specified to waterproof all below-grade concrete structures.
“Adding PENETRON ADMIX effectively converts concrete into the waterproofing element with built-in self-healing capabilities to automatically repair microcracks,” adds Christopher Chen, Director of The Penetron Group.
Once added to the concrete during the batching phase, the proprietary chemicals in PENETRON ADMIX react to moisture in the concrete to generate a non-soluble crystalline formation in the pores and capillary tracts of the concrete. This formation permanently seals micro-cracks, pores, and capillaries against the penetration of water or liquids from any direction.
“Thanks to Penetron’s crystalline concrete waterproof technology, the enhanced durability of the below-grade concrete structures will ensure a substantially longer service life for the Donelson Branch Library,” concludes Christopher Chen.
PENETRON ADMIX was specified: Messer Construction asked Penetron for a durable concrete mix design with a very low permeability to waterproof all below-grade concrete structures.
Protected from high groundwater levels: Penetron’s crystalline concrete waterproofing technology ensures a substantially longer service life for the below-grade structures of the Donaldson Library.
