OVERALL VIEW REQUIRED – “SOFT COSTS” ARE IMPORTANT IN RELATION TO COST EFFECTIVENESS

There was a reason why Keravette^® clinker brick slips from STRÖHER were used, as the decision had actually already been taken to use a product from another manufacturer. However, no-one had pointed out the costintensive trowel grouting required with this product. STRÖHER was able to secure the contract due to the ability to use slurry grouting despite the structure of the brick slip and due to their tailored application advice.

In Karlsruhe, as in all cities with strong economies and attractive infrastructure, living space is becoming increasingly scarce. Building development is being densified as far as possible. Maximum use is being made of spaces. Especially in prime locations near the city centre. A microcosm of a special kind has arisen on the vast site of the disused Karlsruhe goods rail depot. There, Göbelbecker Bauträger GmbH alone has erected over 15,000 rental, ownership and student apartments on six of the 26 construction sites of the “City Park”. There is also 10,000 m² of office and commercial space.

“From the nursery to assisted living - we are placing great emphasis on a healthy mix of different types of housing”, explains Göbelbecker City Park project developer Paul Heinze. Construction site 19 is being used to build upmarket housing. Something that should be recognisable from a distance. Instead of blocks of flats, cubic villas have been designed, making a high-value statement with areas of brick slips and balustrades made of glass on the facade. On the balconies and terraces, ceramic is used instead of concrete.

Sales representative Frank Usner monitored the progress of the “Park Villas” during the construction phase even after they were sold: “I was not only impressed by the ability to easily cut 40 x 60 cm TerioTec^® terrace slabs to a size of 40 x 50 cm with little waste, in order to ensure a laying pattern of 40 x 40 cm on all the exterior surfaces, right up to the end rows, to the greatest extent possible – it also provided much higher visual quality compared to using individual 10 cm pieces in the final rows”. Usner also had to coax the unbelieving paving layers on site until they dared to hammer down the TerioTec^® – even in a thickness of 2 cm – into the gravel with a rubber mallet, as they would with standard concrete slabs normally used by developers. STRÖHER ceramic not only looks high-value, it is also high quality, satisfying the requirements in terms of both appearance and function. The developers also took this into account with the clinker bricks slips, which are easy to lay as they can be slurry grouted. This saved a lot of money with regard to the installation.