Gitam University : Multi-Building Terrace Waterproofing

Project Overview

1,10,000 sq ft across seven buildings at the Gitam University campus in Hyderabad. Buildings included four academic blocks, two residential hostels, and the administrative headquarters.

University campuses are operationally complex waterproofing sites. Buildings are occupied continuously. Academic calendars are fixed — work cannot overrun into examination periods or semester start dates. Hostel rooftops are accessed by students. Access routes across campus are shared with pedestrian and vehicle traffic.

Victoria Waterproofing was appointed after a competitive tender process. The project was phased across two semesters to keep disruption within acceptable bounds. Subhash Chander was present on site throughout the execution phase.

Substrate Condition at Intake

Seven buildings, seven different construction ages and waterproofing histories. The oldest academic block was a 1998 construction with no waterproofing upgrade in 24 years. The newest hostel was a 2019 build with a manufacturer-applied crystalline coating that had failed at the parapet junction across its full perimeter.

Initial survey across all seven buildings produced a condition matrix. Buildings were graded: A (full strip and reline), B (base coat + topcoat over sound substrate), C (targeted repair of specific failure zones). Four buildings were Grade A. Two were Grade B. One — the 2019 hostel — was Grade C, limited to parapet junction treatment and drainage outlet resealing.

This grading approach meant the total project cost was lower than a uniform full-strip specification. It also meant the warranty periods across buildings were logged separately, allowing the university's FM team to track each building's warranty expiry independently.

Method Selection Rationale

SBR-modified cementitious was specified across all seven buildings for consistency. A uniform system means one material specification, one application method, one quality control standard across the entire campus. Mixed systems — polyurethane on some buildings, bituminous on others — create maintenance headaches when warranty claims need to be traced to a specific product or application batch.

The university's procurement team requested a locally maintainable system — one where rectification work, if needed after the warranty period, could be done by a local contractor without specialist equipment. SBR cementitious fits this requirement. Polyurethane and torch-on bituminous require specific applicator training and equipment. Any competent local waterproofing team can apply and repair a cementitious system.

Execution Highlights

Phase 1 covered the four academic blocks during the December–January semester break. 45-member crew, working simultaneously across all four buildings to meet the February semester restart deadline. All four buildings were handed over with two weeks to spare.

Phase 2 covered the two hostels and the administrative block during the April–May summer break. Hostel rooftop access required daily coordination with the hostel warden — rooftop access gates were locked at 7 PM each evening as a student safety measure and reopened by the warden at 7 AM. Work schedule adjusted accordingly; no evening work on hostel rooftops.

The parapet wall treatment across all seven buildings required special attention. Parapet-to-terrace junctions are the single most common failure point on flat-roof buildings. On this campus, five of the seven buildings had active water ingress traceable to the parapet junction. The detail on every junction was: substrate preparation, SBR slurry fillet at internal angle, full membrane coat extended 300mm up the vertical face, protection coat, polyurethane sealant at the parapet cap junction. Every junction. No exceptions.

Post-Handover

Seven separate warranty certificates issued — one per building, dated from individual building handover. The FM team has the full warranty register.

Post-handover site visits completed after the 2022 and 2023 monsoon seasons. No leak complaints across the campus in two monsoon cycles. One small rectification — a drainage outlet seal on the admin block, identified during the post-monsoon visit — was addressed under warranty at no charge within three working days.

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Project commissioned by Gitam University for their Hyderabad campus. Project management by Subhash Chander, Victoria Waterproofing.