Moisture, typically, is the arch nemesis of any building project. Rain or water ingress during construction can cause lengthy delays. However, it’s crucial that structures are also equipped to deal with the threat of moisture over the long term, beyond completion.

Water ingress is the most significant root cause of building remediation costs. Moisture can enter structures in a variety of ways so it’s necessary to comprehensively safeguard against all possible circumstances.

Repairing concrete is a particularly labour-intensive and costly process. Spending on remediation can skyrocket the longer the damage is left unaddressed, which highlights the importance of preventive measures.

To waterproof structures that are water retaining or below ground level requires careful design, shrewd selection of materials, as well as skilled workmanship. Onsite quality control has a big part to play in ensuring optimal waterproofing results.

Interestingly, Australian Standards don’t cover all facets of waterproofing requirements. Given that some elements remain unregulated, there exists no clearly defined standard.

Instead Sika Australia recommends a strong emphasis on ‘requirements analysis’, in keeping with the British Standard 8102. This involves all stakeholders working together to develop a strategy and robust specification during the design stage, which is followed right through the construction process.

During the requirements analysis phase it’s necessary to assess geological conditions of the site and the presence of hydrostatic pressure. These steps should allow plans to increase structural durability by considering future developments and being able to pre-emptively counter their impact.

With over 100 years of innovation and experience, Sika offers a wide range of quality waterproofing systems and solutions tailored to all applications. Their products and services cover both new build and retrofit of basements, waterproofing, cellars, carparks, roofs, balconies, podiums, retaining walls, lift pits, water tanks, swimming pools, ponds, and wet areas.

See here for access to Sika Australia's free whitepaper that looks at the key issues of structural waterproofing and addressing water ingress.