The Southall Farm complex, an authentic working farm with an inn, restaurant, and spa just outside of Nashville, TN, welcomed its first guests in July 2022. PENETRON ADMIX SB, a crystalline waterproofing admixture, was specified to protect the Farm’s below-grade concrete structures from high groundwater levels.
Southall Farms is located within the rolling hills of Tennessee in historic Franklin, less than 20 miles south of Nashville. The 325-acre development was integrated into an existing farm and now features an inn, spa, event venue, greenhouses, orchards, treehouses, cottages, a hilltop gathering space, grazing areas, an apiary, a culinary garden, and a vineyard – with 95% of the open space remaining undeveloped or agricultural.
Five years in the making, James McHugh Construction built four interconnected buildings comprising an inn offering 62 guestrooms, an executive boardroom, breakfast and bourbon bars, and a high-end restaurant featuring ingredients grown on-site. There are also 16 cottages on the grounds and two greenhouses that mark the front of the property along with the Farm Stand, which is open twice a week with farm produce, eggs, and branded products.
“This US$70 million project is based on sustainability; everything needed for the inn is grown on-site,” says Christopher Chen, Director of the Penetron Group. “Activities include hiking, biking, and running trails through old-growth forests, fishing, canoeing, kayaking and stand-up paddleboarding, along with a range of farm and culinary tours – it is a remarkable experience!”
Due to high groundwater levels, a concrete waterproofing solution was needed for the below-grade structures of the main complex. McHugh Concrete, the project’s cast-in-place concrete supplier, added PENETRON ADMIX SB to the concrete mix for the basement perimeter walls and elevator pits. PENECRETE MORTAR, a crystalline waterproofing mortar, was applied to seal the tie holes along the perimeter walls and elevator pits.
Added during the batching phase and unaffected by climactic conditions, PENETRON ADMIX is one of the most efficient and economic permeability-reducing concrete admixtures (PRAH) available today. As confirmed in durability tests by third-party testing laboratories, PENETRON ADMIX-treated concrete is protected against a range of factors that cause concrete deterioration: freeze-thaw cycles, chemical attack, corrosion, and alkali silica reactions (ASR), while blocking moisture penetration caused by the hydrostatic pressure prevalent at the Southall Farms construction site.
"Concrete treated with PENETRON ADMIX SB is not only waterproof, it has an extended service life due to the durability benefits of the enhanced impermeability of the concrete," concludes Christopher Chen. "This extended durability also contributes to the sustainable vision of Southall Farms."
Tennessee hills paradise: Southall Farm comprises a 325-acre farm, an inn with 62 rooms, 16 cottages, a high-end restaurant (and bourbon bar), a spa, hospitality areas, and two greenhouses.
