The Paradise Playa Brava in Iquique, Chile, welcomed its first residents in November 2024. The high-rise residential development specified PENETRON ADMIX, a crystalline waterproofing admixture, for the below-grade concrete structures for both towers, including the retaining walls and foundation slabs.
Iquique is located in Northern Chile, on a rocky peninsula between the Pacific Ocean and the Atacama Desert. The prosperous city features a lively port, an agricultural industry in the region, with growing popularity as a tourist destination. The city of 170,000 continues to grow rapidly.
“Similar to last month’s new Life Tower – also a Penetron project – the Paradise Playa Brava adds yet another highlight to the growing city’s skyline,” adds Domingo Lema, Managing Director of Penetron Chile.
Located on a prime spot in Playa Brava (Santiago Polanco 2075), Iquique’s upscale beach district, the lobby doors of the Paradise Playa Brava are just meters from the waves of the Pacific Ocean. Housed in two towers, with 27 and 32 floors, the approximate 500 luxury units are available as 1-2-bedroom (32-52 m2 / 352-572 ft2) apartments. The amenities include an outdoor pool with lounge area, barbeque areas, and multi-purpose rooms.
Because of the construction site’s proximity to the Pacific Ocean, EBCO, the general contractor, contacted Penetron Chile for the optimal way to protect the below-grade concrete structures from the marine environment. “Because PENETRON ADMIX-treated concrete is significantly more resistant to chloride penetration, the admixture adds an effective – and proven – deterrent to corrosion of the embedded reinforcement steel," explains Domingo Lema.
Bicentenario Concretes, the ready-mix concrete supplier, supplied 1850 m3 of PENETRON ADMIX-treated concrete for Paradise Playa Brava’s foundation slabs and the retaining walls.
PENETRON ADMIX provides comprehensive protection against concrete deterioration caused by seawater penetration and the resulting corrosion from chloride ions. The active ingredients in PENETRON ADMIX react with water and concrete minerals to form an insoluble crystalline network deep within the concrete matrix. This crystalline growth takes place throughout the concrete structure to fill in the microcracks, pores and capillaries normally found in concrete, resulting in impermeable, waterproof, and durable concrete.
“EBCO is familiar with the performance of Penetron products. The builder has specified our admixture for reinforced concrete structures in different cities across Chile,” adds Domingo Lema. “Just as important, the lower cost and more comprehensive guarantee of permeability reduction and self-healing of cracks throughout the service life of the concrete were all convincing arguments for Penetron!”
Steps away from the Pacific Ocean: The foundation structures of the two towers of the Paradise Playa Brava, with 500 luxury units, are protected from the marine environment by PENETRON ADMIX.
