Largest Shopping Centre in Africa Gets Ultimate Protection from Grace Preprufe


Grace Construction Products has supplied its high performance Preprufe® waterproofing membrane to Africa's largest shopping centre - the £150 million Morocco Mall on Casablanca's world-famous waterfront - to once again demonstrate the company's abilities to provide unrivalled waterproofing technologies and solutions for the most challenging projects worldwide.

Designed by Design International and built by one of Morocco's largest firms, SGTM Construction, the Morocco Mall occupies a 10 hectare site just 20 metres from the Atlantic Ocean. Due to the coastal proximity, client Al Amine Investment required a comprehensive waterproofing system which would protect the concrete slab from water penetration, provide protection from salt and sulphates in the ground and preserve the lifespan of the structure.

Performing exceptionally when tested for watertightness and showing no effects from ground contaminants, Preprufe® 300R and Bituthene® 3000 from Grace proved the ideal solution. The advanced Preprufe® membrane system offered SGTM Construction the safest and most reliable waterproofing option available.

Designed with synthetic adhesive layers combined with a robust HDPE film, Preprufe® provides a permanent physical barrier which will protect the structure from the salt and sulphates found in the ground of the Morocco Mall. Unlike other waterproofing solutions, Preprufe® will ensure the structure remains unaffected by salt and sulphate attack even if their concentration changes over time.

Grace's patented Advanced Bond Technology(TM) enables concrete to aggressively adhere to Preprufe®, forming a unique intimate seal which prevents any water migration between the waterproofing and the structure and substantially reduces the risk of leaks.

No other system on the market protects a substructure from the harmful effects of water, vapour and gas than Preprufe®. It can also be applied on wet concrete and is immediately ready without protective layers to receive rebar installation, which further accelerates the construction programme.

To maintain continuity of the fully bonded system on the walls, Grace supplied its Bituthene® 3000 sheet-applied waterproofing membrane - which for many years has been the product of choice for waterproofing substructure walls all over the world. Grace's Adcor® 500S hydro-expansive waterstop, Serviseal® 195 external PVC waterstop system and Bituthene® Liquid Membrane completed the comprehensive specification on schedule for its December 2011 opening.

"The largest mall in North Africa, it is a unique and amazing architecturally designed structure, further enhanced by the Grace products that help protect it," commented Grace Construction Products' Field Market Developer, Francois Challier.

Since opening in December 2011, the prestigious Morocco Mall has garnered global press coverage for its unique design, impressive scale and 250,000m² of floor space. Following the application of Grace's innovative and time-tested products and technologies, Africa's largest shopping mall will benefit from reliable and durable waterproofing which meets the highest standards of such a prestigious development.

For further information on Grace Construction Products range of products visit
www.ukgraceconstruction.co.uk or for general enquiries including technical, on or off site support, please email preprufe@grace.com

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