Long-Lasting Protection for Reinforced Concrete Panels
Background
The Pinnacle is a landmark office block in the heart of Leeds. The city’s largest office tower comprising 145,000 sq ft of space, the building was purchased for a total of £65 million and underwent a major refurbishment to help attract more tenants. Current office occupiers include the likes of Barnett Waddingham, Schlumberger, Steer Davis Gleave and Blue Fin Insurance and retail and leisure tenants in the Pinnacle Podium include Superdrug, Pret a Manger, Greggs and Tesco Express.
Quadriga Contracts were chosen to carry out the external renovation due to the company’s specialism in historic and listed property renovation. The building is 15-storeys high and comprises a series of reinforced concrete panels. An anti-carbonation coating was sought for the exterior of the building in order to protect the concrete and enhance the outward appearance.
Elastomeric, Decorative Flexcrete Solution
Monodex Ultra – an elastomeric, water-based, decorative coating – was specified for application to the 4,600m2 exterior of the concrete substrate of the Pinnacle due to its ability to provide protection against carbonation and water ingress, whilst improving the aesthetics of the building. Prior to the application of Monodex Ultra, Bond-Prime was first applied to prime the surface. A key reason for the specification of Monodex Ultra was its waterborne nature as it cures without releasing hazardous solvents or heavy odour and is non-toxic, non-leaching and non-tainting, so there were no concerns about the coating being applied in the heart of Leeds city centre.
Monodex Ultra has excellent adhesion and resistance to weathering and its vapour permeable nature allows damp substrates to breathe and dry out without blistering of the coating. CE-marked in accordance with EN 1504 Part 2, it arrests carbonation in reinforced concrete structures through high diffusion resistance to carbon dioxide. Monodex Ultra provides the equivalent of 500mm concrete cover and has a service life of 10 years. It is available in a range of standard and special colours, of which dark grey was chosen to maximise the aesthetics of the building and provide a contemporary appearance.
Client
Pinnacle Properties Ltd
Contractor
Quadriga Contracts
The Pinnacle, Leeds - Project Profile