Completed in March 2025, the $100 million Opal Sol Hotel is the newest luxury destination on Clearwater Beach in Florida. The oceanfront property required a reliable concrete waterproofing solution for protection from the marine environment. PENETRON ADMIX SB, a crystalline waterproofing admixture, was specified for the concrete foundation structures, swimming pool, and deck.
Clearwater (and Clearwater Beach) lies directly west of Tampa and north of St. Petersburg on the Gulf of Mexico coast. Featuring wide white-sand beaches and turquoise waters combined with a small-town atmosphere, this city of around 120,000 is a popular year-round tourist destination.
Situated on the Clearwater Beach shoreline, the new Opal Sol Hotel offers 248 luxury units in a 15-floor tower. Along with breathtaking views of the Gulf of Mexico, hotel amenities include a 3rd-floor pool deck with three pools (including a children’s pool), a nine-level parking garage, four restaurants, a fitness gym, 57,000 ft2 of event space (including a ballroom), a business center with 4,500 ft2 of meeting rooms, and an elevated pedestrian bridge across South Gulfview Boulevard connecting to the Opal Sands Hotel.
“The 492,000 ft2 (44,730 m2) oceanfront development is located in a flood zone, at the southernmost end of the Clearwater Beach barrier island,” notes Dale Williams, General Sales Manager for Penetron USA. “This meant Bliss & Nyitray, the project engineers, paid special attention to ensuring the durability of all concrete structures exposed to the marine environment.”
With a construction site virtually at sea level, a reliable waterproofing solution for the building foundation became an obvious priority. Penetron worked with CEMEX, the ready-mix concrete supplier, and Carr & Sons Masonry to come up with an effective concrete mix to meet the challenge.
“CEMEX has successfully used our admixture for a number of similar jobs across Florida,” adds Dale Williams. “The results from those applications provided ample proof that PENETRON ADMIX SB, a crystalline waterproofing admixture, would be the most effective and economic permeability-reducing admixture for the Opal Sol Hotel project.”
The concrete mix for both the hotel’s pre-cast stormwater detention vaults and foundation slabs were treated with PENETRON ADMIX SB. The storm vaults were supplied by Carr & Sons Masonry and CEMEX provided the concrete mix for the foundation structures and the swimming pool and deck. PENETRON ADMIX SB was used to treat 4,000 yds3 (3,060 m3) of concrete.
Added to the concrete mix during batching, PENETRON ADMIX SB provides comprehensive integral protection against concrete deterioration caused by chloride attack from seawater, which can lead to corrosion, while withstanding the hydrostatic pressure encountered at the Clearwater Beach site.
“The durability and service life of the Opal Sol’s concrete foundation and stormwater vaults is maximized with Penetron’s crystalline waterproofing technology,” stresses Dale Williams. “It’s no wonder Florida is ‘Penetron country’!”
Protected from the marine environment: The concrete mix for both the hotel’s pre-cast stormwater detention vaults and foundation slabs were treated with PENETRON ADMIX SB to ensure impermeability.
