PENETRON crystalline technology not only helps keep the water in the concrete pools of the new Dagály Aquatics Complex in Budapest, Hungary, but also ensures the groundwater from the adjacent river stays out. The new Aquatics Center will host the 2017 FINA World Championships this summer.
About 100 designers, architects and engineers were involved in the planning and construction of the Dagály Aquatics Complex. To counter the challenge of the high water table at the construction site, concrete bore piles were driven into the ground and a 250 mm (10”) thick reinforced concrete slab was poured on top of the piles.
“The main building of the Dagály Aquatics Complex not only holds a lot of water in its pools, but it is also situated right on the shores of the Danube River,” explains Sándor Jónás, General Manager of PENETRON Hungary. “This is why the project needed an optimal and robust waterproofing solution for the concrete structures.”
To provide the necessary strength and durability for all the pool structures, the concrete was treated with PENTRON ADMIX during the batching phase to ensure a completely waterproof concrete matrix. About 420 m3 (550 cubic yards) of treated concrete were used for the pools.
Budapest’s new Dagály Aquatics Complex is set to host the 2017 FINA World Championships, which will be held July 15-30, 2017. This state-of-the-art facility comprises two 50 m pools (one for competition and one for warm-ups) and a diving pool.
Overall, the Dagály was a massive project. With a 19,000 m2 (204,500 square feet) footprint, including two spectator areas that each added 2,000 m2 (21,500 square feet), over 120,000 m3 (160,000 cubic yards) of earth were moved.
The Dagály Aquatic Center construction project also included comprehensive upgrades to the surrounding infrastructure; this included new roads and sidewalks, improved access to the area for public transportation and, perhaps most importantly, a new kilometer-long (0.62-miles) flood protection barrier that protects the city from floods – and solves a decades-old problem.
Almost ready: The roof is up and the first pool is being tested in Budapest at the Dagály Aquatic Center.
There will be water: This early view of construction at the Dagály Aquatic Center shows pool structures previously treated with PENETRON ADMIX to ensure a completely waterproof concrete matrix.
Ready for FINA: A completed Dagály Aquatic Center shows how massive the project was: a 19,000 m2 (204,500 square feet) footprint with two spectator areas each adding 2,000 m2 (21,500 square feet).
