Reportedly the world’s largest facility of its kind, the Georgia Aquarium has emerged in downtown Atlanta, thanks in part to highly fluid concrete. The
Reportedly the world’s largest facility of its kind, the Georgia Aquarium has emerged in downtown Atlanta, thanks in part to highly fluid concrete. The project’s special requirements necessitated close work between Lafarge North America, market leader in ready mixed, and Grace Construction Products in order to meet such demands as a suitable mix for viewing-tank enclosures. Among the largest in the world, some tanks up to 33 feet tall required 4-ft.-thick walls at the base. The largest habitat, designed to house whale sharks and other animals typically living along a coral reef leading out to the open ocean, holds 6.2 million gallons of water and measures 263 ft. long _ 126 ft. wide _ 33 ft. deep at its largest points.
To accommodate many pipe insets in the tank walls, Lafarge used its self-consolidating concrete, Agilia, in all areas where pipes and congested steel were located. Adva superplasticizer helped produce a highly flowable SCC mix able to move readily through congested forms to deliver strengths above 8,000 psi Û 33 percent over design specifications.
Because the tanks hold saltwater, the mix for tank walls also incorporated Grace’s DCI-S corrosion inhibitor, which extends the life cycle of concrete exposed to marine environments and minimizes the need for future repairs due to corrosion, company officials note. In addition, STRUX 90/40 synthetic macro-fiber reinforcement was used for secondary reinforcement in slab-on-ground concrete throughout the structure, including concrete walkways, areas near the tanks, and other high-traffic locations.