A very interesting project recently completed with the collaboration of Volteco, which saw the historic Certosa di Collegno become a headquarters for the Faculty of Educational Sciences of Turin in North-West part of Italy. A structure that had been abandoned for some time was recovered, also thanks to the waterproofing qualities of Volteco products.
The watertight tank waterproofed with Volteco products guaranteed a barrier to Radon gas
A very interesting project was recently completed in collaboration with Volteco , which saw the historic Certosa di Collegno become the headquarters of the Faculty of Educational Sciences of Turin .
The structure, dating back to 1852, originally a convent, was transformed into a psychiatric hospital towards the end of 1800 – beginning of 1900: an important mental asylum complex from an architectural point of view because it was the first in Italy to adopt the parallel arrangement of multi-storey pavilions to isolate individual pathologies. In the 80s, it was then closed and left to abandonment.
Arranging for the restoration and waterproofing of the building was not easy: the conditions of the external and internal parts of the entire structure were rather dilapidated and ghostly , having been in disuse for several years.
The immediate need was to ensure protection of Radon gas, since the complex and all the annexed rooms are for public use; but not only that, but it was also necessary to waterproof the rooms to avoid water infiltration and to completely restore the walls affected by significant rising damp.
To ensure the Radon gas seal, a sort of “watertight tank” was created , first creating a perimeter skirting on the internal wall using waterproof mortar, thick waterproof plaster, and then connecting everything with the Amphibia membrane laid out horizontally.
As a second step, before casting the foundations, hydro-expansive mastic was used Akti-vo 201, indicated for the sealing and definitive waterproofing of penetrations and cracks in general, to create the connection gasket between horizontal and vertical planes.
Thanks to the Amphibia 3000 grip, expertly positioned, and to its resistance, which allowed walking on the construction site, it was possible to work with maximum peace of mind by placing the reinforcements directly on the membrane.
In the areas of the perimeter walls, which are most damaged and characterised by a strong presence of salts, an additional chemical barrier was created using the super hydrophobic anti-humidity creamy emulsion TripleZero.
Once the 12 mm diameter holes were made every 12 cm horizontally in the lowest part of the wall between the first and second brick, they were cleaned and TripleZero was injected using a special gun.
Using Bi Mortar Plaster Seal thick waterproof plaster for the entire perimeter affected by the intervention and for a height of approximately 30 cm, the waterproof skirting was created; for the remaining height of the walls, Calibro NHL plaster was laid with natural hydraulic lime NHL 3.5 anti-humidity, anti-salt and anti-condensation, with a first layer of roughcast (approximately 0.5 cm).
After approximately 24-36 hours, we continued with the installation of a thickness of approximately 1.5-2 cm of Calibro NHL 3.5 as plaster: a product that allows the residual humidity inside the masonry accumulated over the years to evaporate and inhibit the effects of condensation.
After a period of about 2-3 weeks (necessary for different layers to stabilize and harmonize together), the contractor completed the work using X-Lime, the white lime-based finishing plaster, approximately 2 mm thick. This finish is also breathable and creates the base for subsequent decoration, maintaining the characteristics of covering any micro-cracks unaltered even on supports such as old paintwork.
After about another couple of months, the work was completed with the application of breathable paints. The result achieved was very satisfactory: the work carried out with TripleZero allowed us to “block” the humidity at the lowest point of the structure and the Bi Mortar Plaster Seal solution, used as a waterproof base, guaranteed the closure of the “waterproof and Radon gas-proof box”.
The main objective of the project was to create a structure with almost zero energy impact , using green energy systems such as photovoltaic panels and ensuring total insulation of the structure. Since it was not possible to carry out these works from the outside due to the need to maintain the “historical” appearance of the building, the thermal insulation was carried out entirely from the inside, running the systems horizontally.
Externally, it was therefore possible not only to maintain the historical appearance, but also to guarantee the healthiness of the structures through the application of the dehumidifying plaster cycle Calibro NHL + X-Lime + chemical barrier TripleZero by Volteco.
