Waterproofing in a groundwater zone: new construction of a wooden villa in Forte dei Marmi

The project in brief

Construction typology
Residential
Year
2022
Place
Forte dei Marmi (LU)
Designer
Ing. Daniele Valpiani – Arch. Tiziano Lera
Products used
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Not all construction sites arise from a problem that needs to be solved. Some arise from a problem that needs to be prevented. This is the case with this project in Versilia (Tuscany Coastal Area), where Volteco was involved from the early design stages to ensure that a newly built villa—built entirely of wood—could coexist with an aquifer half a meter deep.

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The Challenge

The project is located in Forte dei Marmi, in the province of Lucca—Versilia, an area characterized by groundwater. This is very important detail: in this area, the presence of underground water is constant, and in this case, the aquifer was located about half a meter below ground level.

The building is a villa constructed entirely of wood, with a basement level not accessible from the outside via a ramp, but directly from the house. The wooden structure is contained within a reinforced concrete “box.” Wood and constant groundwater: a combination that required carefully designed and applied waterproofing.

The Versilia region has a subsoil composed primarily of sand—a friable, loosely bonded soil that makes the presence of water near the foundations even more critical. Before waterproofing, it was necessary to consolidate and confine the perimeter of the basement.

The solution was to build a barrier of micropiles along the entire perimeter of the underground structure, completed with a connecting curb. Only after this soil containment phase was it possible to proceed with the waterproofing implementation.

Volteco Solutions

The product chosen for the waterproofing is Volgrip LH, a self-bonding bentonite membrane from Volteco, designed to protect reinforced concrete structures exposed to constant, fluctuating, or percolating groundwater.

The operating principle is based on natural sodium bentonite: upon contact with water, this material transforms into a waterproof gel capable of expanding up to 16 times its initial dry volume. Self-confinement is ensured by the external non-woven fabric, which retains the bentonite and maintains pressure against the structure, making the system essentially impenetrable.

The membrane was applied after smoothing the surface between the micropiles, laid along the perimeter of the reinforced concrete structure. Subsequent concrete castings, carried out in contact with the membrane, complete the self-confinement: the system works thanks to the pressure of the soil and the structure itself.

An important aspect: in contexts like this, where the structure is constantly submerged, waterproofing not only protects against water infiltration but also helps extend the life of the structure over time—as also required by building safety regulations.

Some particularly delicate critical details were also managed: the sealing of the wellpoint (the water pumping systems that allow the contractors to work below ground), the elevator crossing points, and all the joints and casting joints, which in these contexts represent the most vulnerable points.

The result

One element that made the difference on this construction site: Volteco was involved in the preliminary study phase, before the project was finalized.

This allowed us to address critical issues while it was still possible to do so effectively designing the seals in the right places, anticipating wellpoint-related issues, and managing construction details with technical awareness. Intervening in the design phase means solving problems before, not after on the construction site: with lower costs and better results.

The synergy between the architecture firm, the structural engineering firm, and the Volteco technical team resulted in an integrated waterproofing system, carefully designed and implemented by the contractor under complex construction conditions—with the sandy soil constantly managed by pumping water.

Discover the full reference.

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Products associated with the value project

AKTI-VO 201

Synthetic rubber hydro-expansive mastic.

AKTI-VO BS

Hydro-expanding mastic of natural sodium bentonite and butyl rubber.

I-PLUG

Ultra-quick waterproof mortar.

WT 102

Hydro-expansive bentonite curb.

VOLGRIP LH – Light

Waterproofing bentonite membrane, self-gripping to concrete.

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