“Le Parnasse”, a complex consisting of multi-storey residential buildings, is situated in the centre of the northern French city of Rouen. The popular residential area, just 100 metres away from Notre Dame Cathedral, one of the most important Gothic church buildings in France, is further enhanced by a 1,300 m² roof terrace. As part of an extensive refurbishment project, this roof terrace was waterproofed and colourfully designed with KEMPEROL.

The houses built in the 1950s were completely refurbished after more than 50 years of use. The new waterproofing should not only be state-of-the-art but also aesthetically pleasing and strong enough to be walked on. The residents decided in favour of KEMPEROL, because

• the material can be applied easily and
• offers a durable technical solution.

State-of-the-art

KEMPEROL is the only waterproofing system in the whole of France that allows roof terrace refurbishment directly on the existing substrate. This saved expensive demolition and disposal costs. Furthermore, there was no noise pollution, as the load-bearing elements did not have to be removed with a pneumatic hammer. This is what the old substrate from the 1950s<br/> looked like:

• Prestressed concrete beams (concave)
• Concrete screed (load-bearing element)
• Old waterproofing consisting of bitumen and tar/pitch
• Sandwich structure (cement screed)
• Stone tiles in the gravel bed (were removed)

Thanks to the new waterproofing, which was applied directly to the substrate (waterproofing and cement screed), the load/bearing capacity of the load-bearing elements hardly changed. KEMPEROL is very low in weight. The use of liquid applied waterproofing, which bonds fully with the substrate across the entire surface, extends the refurbishment intervals when regularly maintained. Another reason for choosing KEMPEROL was the material properties: High resistance to wear, cracks and temperature and a long service life (W3 according to ETAG 005).

Colourful highlights

KEMPER SYSTEM offers a wide range of products for the final surfacing of the cured waterproofing surface that meet individual aesthetic demands. Therefore, the residents had the opportunity to design their own roof terrace. White pebbles were combined with a red KEMPERDUR AC Finish for the walkways around the numerous plants. Wooden decks were also installed in various areas.

The residents of “Le Parnasse” have not only managed to increase the value of their property but have also consciously opted for new colourful highlights in the predominantly grey environment – a typical feature of this region. If you are interested, have a look at the result on Google Earth under “Rue du bac, Rouen,<br/> France”.