Waterproofing & Recommendations
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Waterproofing & Recommendations
Wonder Building Waterproofing
One of the most important design concerns for earth covered structures are waterproofing and damp proofing. Care should be taken for proper arch erection, including correct fastening of the bolts and application of caulking as per the Erection Manual. Satisfactory waterproofing materials for earth covered Wonder Building Shelters should possess the following characteristics:
- Durability and Permanence for the local soil conditions .
- Flexibility sufficient to withstand any building movement due to expansion or contraction, soil settling or shifting and vehicular traffic in the vicinity.
- Ease of application during construction weather conditions.
- Safety to the applicator during application.
- Uniformity of product quality during application.
- Stability to prevent seepage of coating into buildings or off of inclined building surfaces.
Coal pitch tar is the basic material suggested for underground waterproofing because it can best provide durability and permanence under the widest variety of soil conditions. In spite of much experimentation with other materials, coal tar pitch remains a widely accepted product for under- ground protection.
The decision to use a solid coal tar pitch requiring heat during application or a liquefied form of coal tar pitch for cold application should depend upon their ability to provide the foregoing listed characteristics.
Both hot and cold application of coal tar pitch offer durability, permanence, and flexibility. How-ever, the cold application products offer distinct advantages in the remaining characteristics includ-ing ease of application. Cold products can be painted on the steel. See the products’ directions for application procedures on steel products.
The design of the earth covered structure should also include a barrier such as visquine or other barrier material. Again, this material should be chosen for its durability, permanence and flexibility and the other characteristics discussed above. This barrier should be installed within the dirt and extend from one end of the earth slope to the other. The design of the earth covering needs to include adequate drainage. At the base of the barrier membrane, drainage tubes, tiles, or other drainage should be installed. This entire drainage system should be designed to keep the water away from the arch structure.
OTHER IMPORTANT DAMP PROOFING CONSIDERATIONS
All metal buildings condensate. Therefore, as with all earth covered buildings, adequate ventilation systems can be designed to remove condensation. Wonder Buildings offer the ability to design these systems through the endwalls or roof. Discuss your options with your Wonder Building sales representative.
NAVY RECOMMENDATIONS FOR DAMP-PROOFING
For our customers’ reference, the following are the US Navy’s recommendations for damp proof-ing of Wonder Buildings.
After the metal arches have been erected and all bolts properly tightened and all other pene-trations made and completed, the exterior surfaces shall be damp-proofed. This work in-cludes sealing of the curb channels at the base of the metal arch walls; flashing of the joint between the metal arch and the concrete rear wall; protective coating of the exterior of the metal arch structure; and coating of the earth-fill side of the concrete headwall, side curb walls, and rear end wall.
Materials:
- Materials shall be delivered to the site in sealed containers bearing the manufac-turer’s original labels.
- Pitch shall be coal-tar pitch, Type II, conforming to ASTM Specification D450.
- Cement shall be bituminous plastic cement for flashing, Type II, conforming to Specifica-tion SS-C-153.
- Protective coatings for metal and concrete shall conform to Specification MIL-C-18480.
- Fabric shall be glass mesh fabric conforming to ASTM D1668, compatible with bituminous plastic cement, Type II.
- Cement and sand for group shall conform to the applicable requirements of Section 03300 entitled CAST IN PLACE CONCRETE.
Preparation of Surfaces:
- Metal surfaces to receive protective coatings, coal tar pitch, or flashings shall be clean and dry.
- All oil, grease, dirt, loose rust, loose mill scale and other foreign substances shall be removed.
- The removal of oil or grease shall be accomplished in a manner that will not leave a greasy residue.
- Clean cloths and clean fluids shall be used as required.
Wonder Building Recommendations
After water and damp-proofing the arch building, the earth covering should be accomplished in a systematic sequence. The drainage system including Visquine or other membrane should be in-stalled during the earth covering phase as per the earth covering/drainage design.
Equal amounts of earth should be moved on each side of the arch. If the arch starts to deflect in the opposite direction, stop the placement of earth on that side and equalize it on the other side.
If the arch starts rising in the center, stop the placement of the earth on the sides and start elevating the material by conveyor to the center of the building. Continue elevating the material until the designed cover has been obtained. Any concerns before or during construction should be discussed with Hardened Structures 877-486-0084.
Hardened Structures offers, either in-house or through partner firms, De-sign, Engineering, Consultation, Construction and On -site Technical Support services are available. Call to obtain more information and pricing for these services.
FOUNDATIONS
With the purchase of your earth covered Wonder Building, Hardened Structures provides you with basic building drawings including a Slot Foundation Drawing and a Design Load Data Sheet. The Slot Foundation Drawing shows the layout of the slot foundation for the particular building model(s) you purchased. These are minimal dimensions based on the steel arch and do not take into account any loads other than the snow and wind load.
We strongly suggest that a professional civil or structural engineer be engaged to design the foundation. Foundation design is typically based on local soil conditions, local building code, and other site specific project requirements. The foundation design also needs to take into account the additional loads (earth load and design, seismic load, and any other load).
The Design Load Data sheet provides the design professional with all of the arch reactions for the particular model so that they can design the foundation.
VENTILATION
Your earth covered Wonder Building should be designed with adequate ventilation. Ventilation can be accomplished with natural air vents and/or mechanical systems. This is a standard building practice and your local HVAC contractor and/or Mechanical Engineer can provide you with the design and/or information on proper ventilation design.
All metal buildings, no matter what type, have condensation. Proper ventilation will take care of any condensation issues. And, foundation and ventilation systems can work together to reduce dampness in an earth covered building.
EARTH COVERING and RETAINING WALLS
Design of the earth covering should take into account how the earth will be held onto the structure. Often, this can be done with the design of the earth covering utilizing proper tapering of the earth itself. Many building owners choose to design and construct retaining walls, especially at the end of the structure, to hold the earth back. There are many choices for retaining walls—stone, concrete, wood, steel, brick, or other materials can be designed to retain the earth. Climate , local soil conditions, and budget will typically dictate design requirements.
LANDSCAPING
Landscaping design should take into account the earth covered Wonder Building. For example, trees should be planted far enough away that the root system will not penetrate the steel arch or even the waterproofing membrane. If grass is planted on the building, consideration needs to be made for cutting the grass (if desired) without exceeding the design loads of the building. Your local landscape contractor or designer can work with you to design landscaping that enhances your project and may be able to suggest local materials to increase the sustainability of your project.
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