Ankara calls for a different engineering approach from our other service areas, because of its harsh continental climate and pronounced freeze thaw cycles. Frost events, common through the winter, can produce micro cracks and moisture ingress over time in foundations that were not correctly insulated. Our team provides foundation drainage, basement waterproofing and roof insulation across Ankara, particularly in Cankaya, Kecioren, Yenimahalle, Mamak, Etimesgut, Sincan and Golbasi.
The clay dominated soils found across much of the city can swell and shrink with moisture content, which makes it especially important that foundation waterproofing is done with long life materials.
Despite a low annual rainfall average, Ankara's continental climate can deliver heavy rain in a short period, and parts of the city are open to sudden flooding. That makes surface water management critical, particularly at basement level. Temperatures falling below zero repeatedly through the winter can also cause moisture in foundation and basement walls to freeze, expand and widen existing cracks.
The clay and marl soil formations found in different parts of the city can raise hydrostatic pressure where no proper drainage system is installed. Our team delivers long life solutions by matching material choice and application technique to the climate and ground conditions of the city.
The three situations we meet most often in Ankara
Movement cracks in clay soils. The clay soils common in the region swell when they take up moisture and shrink as they dry. This movement produces cracks in walls and slabs. A rigid coating is not sufficient in these conditions, systems with high crack bridging capacity should be preferred.
Freeze and thaw cycling. Because of the continental climate the layers near the surface freeze and thaw repeatedly through winter. On terraces and balconies water trapped beneath the finish expands through this cycle and debonds the tiles. The solution begins not with waterproofing but with a drainage arrangement that stops water collecting under the finish.
Surface water management. Even where the water table is deeper than in coastal provinces, rain and snowmelt collecting around the building can still reach the foundation. In these areas most problems are solved not by expensive waterproofing but by correct surface falls and rainwater discharge.
What we look at during the survey
Soil type and any signs of swelling, whether existing cracks are moving, whether a drainage arrangement exists beneath the terrace finish, falls around the building and the discharge point of rainwater downpipes, the local frost depth and whether existing lines sit below it.