The Palmas Park, a multi-use residential/office complex in San Fernando de la Buenavista (Buenos Aires), Argentina, opened its doors in March 2025. The Penetron System of crystalline concrete waterproofing products was specified to protect the below-grade concrete structures from high groundwater levels typical for the drained marshland area.

First settled in the latter part of the 16th century, the Costa de Monta Grande region on the Río de la Plata estuary was surrounded by marsh and farmlands. Today, known as San Fernando de la Buenavista, it is part of Gran Buenos Aires, the greater metropolitan area of Buenos Aires, which is located 20 km (12 miles) south. The city is home to over 145,000 inhabitants and is an agricultural (dairy products, fish, and fruit) and industrial (sawmills, paper products, and furniture) center.

Palmas Park in San Fernando de la Buenavista is a high-end mixed-use development that offers a mix of office space and residential units housed in three 12-floor towers and is part of the Buenavista Business Park. The complex features 88 1-2-bedroom apartment units (32-70 m²), 20 studio apartments (70 m²) on the top floors, ground floor retail areas (700 m²) for restaurants and retail businesses, rooftop terraces, and a two-level below-grade parking garage. The amenities include co-working spaces, a fitness gym, yoga studio, swimming pool and deck, bars, BBQ and cooking areas, micro-cinema, wine cellar, and laundry rooms.

“The Buenavista Business Park complex is one of the most important commercial centers in the Northern Zone of the Gran Buenos Aires metropolitan zone, with more than 60,000 m2 of office space, as well as a wide range of municipal services, schools, shopping centers, and supermarkets,” explains Ariel Stipelman, Country Manager of Penetron Argentina. “The Palmas Park project was the final part of the business park, which is now complete.”

Because of the proximity to the Río de la Plata estuary and the nature of the previously marshy area, the groundwater levels uncovered at the project’s construction site during initial excavations demanded a robust concrete waterproofing solution for the foundation structures.

“The local Penetron team consulted with the general contractor to provide a comprehensive waterproofing solution,” adds Ariel Stipelman. “We also worked with an approved vendor to ensure proper application of the Penetron System products, especially for the below-grade parking garage levels.”

Specification of the Penetron System comprised PENETRON ADMIX, a crystalline waterproofing admixture, added to the concrete mix for the foundation structures, PENEBAR SW-55 Type A swellable waterstop strips to permanently seal the construction joints, and a topical application of PENECRETE MORTAR, a crystalline repair grout, and PENETRON, a topical crystalline waterproofing material, to seal all tie holes in the concrete walls.

Once exposed to moisture, the active ingredients in the Penetron System products generate a non-soluble crystalline formation throughout the pores and capillary tracts of the concrete that permanently seals microcracks, pores and capillaries against the penetration of water or liquids from any direction. This formation provides long-term protection for concrete from deterioration, even under the moist environmental conditions found at the San Fernando de la Buenavista construction site.

“Thanks to the continuous self-healing abilities of the Penetron System, any hairline cracks in the concrete are automatically sealed during the service life of the concrete,” says Ariel Stipelman. “This eliminates the need for any future concrete-based maintenance or repairs.”