Australia’s Radcrete Pacific has recently supplied its Radcon #7 formula to the Bahrain City Centre project (also see special report on Page 96), which is poised to have a soft opening this month.

Under the contract, Radcrete Pacific was awarded the waterproofing contract for the 15,000 sq m water park at the mega mall in Bahrain, which is expected to be the largest indoor or outdoor climate-controlled water park in the Middle East.
The application was carried out by Radcrete’s UAE distributor Wadi Rum Décor, using Radcon #7.
“One of the features of Radcon #7 is that it can withstand high thermal stress and this is a big advantage in the Gulf region,” says Radcrete executive director Michael Rorke.
“Additionally, since Radcon #7 is very fast to apply, contractors can easily apply in the region of 6,000 to 7,000 sq m per day as opposed to 100 sq m with traditional waterproofing methods. In a region such as the Gulf where construction is frenetic this is a big plus to the client as his project will be sped up accordingly.”
Apart from the Bahrain City Centre, the company has also recently completed work on a VIP private air terminal in Jeddah for King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia.
“When most people think of waterproofing they think of physical membranes which cover the concrete surface,” says Rorke. “Traditionally they would not consider a chemical which soaks into the concrete to be a waterproof membrane. However, Radcon #7, which is distributed throughout the Gulf by Australia’s Radcrete Pacific, has been approved as a sub-surface waterproof membrane after testing by the Australian government nearly 15 years ago.”
The product, which was invented in the US over 30 years ago, has been distributed by Radcrete since the mid 1970s.
“Radcon #7 is not a surface coating, admixture, crystalline waterproofing or water repellent,” explains Rorke. “It is a bio-chemically modified sodium silicate which is spray-applied to cured concrete. Through a three-day watering process, the product penetrates and reacts with free calcium and water, forming a complex calcium silicate hydrate gel in pores, capillaries and large cracks. This gel creates a sub-surface barrier against the ingress of water and contaminants such as chloride ions.”
“The philosophy behind Radcon is that the product works with the concrete, as concrete does have some inherent waterproofing capability,” says Rorke. “By doing this, Radcon makes the concrete waterproof, both through the matrix and, most importantly, by sealing cracks.”
The unique features of Radcon #7 relate to its silicate composition which had been bio-chemically modified. “This is what causes the product to permanently waterproof existing leaking cracks in concrete up to 2 mm, even when exposed to high thermal stresses on rooftops,” says Rorke. “Of course, this is particularly important in the Gulf, given the thermal stresses and extreme heat. Additionally, the product that has absorbed into the concrete matrix remains permanently active in the concrete to seal new hairline cracks on contact with water. This process lasts for the lifetime of the structure and thus makes Radcon #7 unique amongst waterproofing products. There-fore, if there were say a one-off settlement of a structure leading to cracking or for that matter even an earthquake, rainwater will reactivate Radcon #7 allowing it to re-seal.”
Radcrete reports having seen cracks up to 1 mm propagate during rain periods with no actual leakage through the slab.
“The concept of designing buildings for say 100 years and yet only having a waterproofing capability of say 10 years is outdated,” says Rorke. “Radcon #7 has been proven in the international marketplace and in numerous testing laboratories for over 30 years now to provide lifetime waterproofing. Therefore the life of the waterproofing will be the same life as that of the structure. Why would developers accept anything less?”
“This philosophy takes time to catch on. Of course people always resist change and are sceptical about things they don’t know so it takes time to get a product well established into a market,” he adds.
So although Radcon #7 has been marketed widely throughout the world it is only in recent times that Radcrete have targeted the Middle East. “In some countries we have a very dominant market share, particularly in those segments where our product is most appropriate, so we anticipate this happening in the Middle East as well, but of course it will take time,” says Rorke.
Radcon #7 has been used extensively on bridges, carpark areas, flat rooftops, water tanks, swimming pools, podium decks, wharfs and airports in over 75 different countries. It is now available through distributors in all the GCC countries.
Continuing its foray into the region, the company has recently appointed Bahwan Building Products as its exclusive distributor for its Radcon Formula #7 waterproofing product in Oman.
“The move is in line with the company’s plans to enter into new markets in the region and promote its top-performing waterproofing solution in the Middle East,” says Rorke.
“Oman’s fast-paced development has created a demand for more sophisticated products and so joining with Bahwan in the Oman market is a natural fit for Radcon formula #7,” says Rorke.
“We are very proud to be associated with such a well respected company as Bahwan, which is ranked as one of Oman’s foremost business houses with close business associations to many leading global companies.”