Penetron Technology Secures Brazil’s Famed Pinacoteca Museum Against Concrete Deterioration

The official March 4th, 2023, reopening of the Pinacoteca Museum (Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo) in São Paulo, Brazil, has refreshed and secured a cultural jewel of Brazil. The Penetron System of crystalline concrete waterproofing products provide the main concrete structures with enhanced durability to resist concrete deterioration for many decades to come.

Founded in 1905 by the State of Sao Paulo, the Pinacoteca de São Paulo is now the country’s most important art museum and largest exhibition space, with 10,815 m² (119,000 ft²) of floor space, and the second largest museum in Latin America. The museum features one of the largest and most inclusive collections of Brazilian art, which covers the history of Brazilian painting from the 19th and 20th centuries.

Housed in the old Arts and Crafts School building that was designed and built at the end of the 19th century, the building underwent a comprehensive redesign, expansion, and renovation in the 1990s by architect Paulo Mendes da Rocha. However, over the ensuing decades, leaks in the building’s roof and gutters, and hydrostatic pressure from the site’s groundwater resulted in widespread water damage to the concrete walls and basement structures.

“When concrete is not sufficiently protected against the elements, in particular, the temperate climate of São Paulo with its abundant rainfall, it often results in rapid deterioration and a number of further issues,” noted Cláudio Neves Ourives, CEO and Managing Partner of Penetron Brazil. “When the project engineers at AF-FIT, the general contractor, contacted Penetron for a solution, we showed how the performance of the Penetron System could solve the durability issues encountered at the Pinacoteca Museum.”

The US$ 425 million project comprised a complete overhaul of the below-grade concrete structures, including the foundation slab, retaining walls, and key above-grade elements exposed to the environment. PENETRON ADMIX was specified for all new below-grade concrete structures. Repair work throughout the museum included application of PENECRETE MORTAR, a crystalline repair grout, to fill cracks, and a topical application of PENETRON, a cementitious crystalline waterproofing material, completed the treatment.

Once applied, the active ingredients in Penetron’s crystalline products create a non-soluble crystalline formation throughout the pores and capillary tracts of the concrete. This enhances impermeability and ensures permanent resistance to the ingress of any liquids or moisture.

“Thanks to its ease of use, the Penetron System helped complete the project on time,” adds Cláudio Neves Ourives. “The Pinacoteca Museum has now doubled its capacity to one million visitors per year!”