Where a building goes up against the property line or a shoring wall, there is no room to reach the outside of the foundation later. Membranes are fixed to the lagging, sheet piles or shotcrete, and concrete is poured directly against them. Pre-applied membranes that bond to fresh concrete are used so water cannot travel between membrane and wall. Every penetration and tie must be detailed before the pour, since nobody sees it again.
Blindside at the lot line goes up on the lagging Monday, rebar crew can't start till the patches are inspected.
Blindside work is photographed heavily before the pour, because once concrete is in place, a defect can only be fixed from the negative side.
Also heard as
- blind-side waterproofing
- pre-applied membrane
- blindside membrane
Related terms
Positive side
The face of a wall or slab that touches the water source, where waterproofing works best.
Bathtub
A fully wrapped below-grade waterproofing system that encloses the foundation like a tub.
Waterstop
A strip cast into concrete joints to block water from traveling along the joint plane.
Sheet membrane
Waterproofing supplied in rolls of factory-made sheet with a controlled thickness, joined at overlapping laps.