Lindenhof-Terrassen residential development, Halberstadt, Germany

Patio deck
COMPACT plus in graphite grey as honeycomb profile, finely grooved surface

Type of construction
Balconies and terraces

Client
HaWoGe Halberstädter Wohnungsgesellschaft mbH

Architect
arc architekturconzept GmbH, Halberstadt office

Processor
Master roofer Jens Schulze, Harsleben

Over 1,200 years old, the episcopal town of Halberstadt is considered the gateway to the Harz Mountains. The towers of the sacred buildings from different stylistic eras make the city visible to visitors from afar. For centuries, Halberstadt was one of the most beautiful half-timbered house towns in northern and central Germany, with around 1,600 half-timbered houses. However, the historic city centre was almost completely destroyed during and after the Second World War. Only 447 historic half-timbered houses were left in 1990 and could be saved by being included in the model city programme for the “Preservation of historic urban spaces in the new federal states”. In order to counter the housing shortage that prevailed back then, industrialised apartment blocks were brought up on the many inner-city wastelands after the end of the war. One of the large industrialised apartment blocks was erected along Kühlinger Strasse and demolished after the German reunification.

In 2017, the city, together with its own housing association HaWoGe, planned to redevelop this central city centre location and thus give it back a piece of its identity. The aim was to make the neighbourhood attractive again for residents by restoring old street alignments and creating a closed development. A competition was held to find an architecturally and functionally appealing solution for the redevelopment.

Balconies resonate with the striking shape of the building

The winning design by “arc architekturconzept projektmanagement” realised a characteristic, curved building shape that extends across the entire site. Based on the “New Living” concept, they pursued a housing mix of primarily two-room flats, which cleverly and economically structured the small floor space and met all aspects of accessibility.

A continuous ground floor block facing Kühlinger Strasse gives the building visual stability, while the three-part, slightly offset structure of the upper floors ensures ideal lighting. A staggered storey with a flat roof forms the upper end and supports the harmonious overall appearance. The curved balcony shapes, which were integrated into the unusual cubature, offer the residents their own private open spaces. Grey contrasting flat steel railings create open and, at the same time, protected outdoor areas. Naturinform’s “Compact plus” WPC honeycomb profile decking boards in graphite grey were chosen to match the colour of the railings and partial perforated sheet parapets.

Focus on durability and accessibility

WPC decking boards are gaining more and more importance in residential construction because both private and public investors value their durability and low maintenance. WPC decking boards from Naturinform also meet requirements such as accessibility. Thanks to a matching floor grate, they enable threshold-free transitions between living spaces and balconies or terraces. “Compact plus” and “Compact” are also particularly popular with housing associations due to their good price-performance ratio. This decking board convinces planners with its relatively low material weight of 2.2 kg/m or 2.0 kg/m for the two decking boards in the honeycomb profile version, as this makes it easier to make concessions to the structural specifications in order to realise the “balcony component”.

System solutions for fast and precise installation

Master roofer Jens Schulze from neighbouring Harsleben and his company installed over 1,000 sqm of WPC decking boards on the balconies and terraces of the “Lindenhof-Terrassen”. They were able to install the WPC decking boards quickly and securely thanks to Naturinform’s coordinated accessory system – consisting of height-adjustable deck feet, aluminium base profiles, and concealed mounting clips. The shape of the curved balconies, for which the decking boards had to be cut individually, was also easy to realise thanks to the material’s easy processing properties.

The low-maintenance “Compact plus” decking board were laid on all balconies and terraces

With “Compact plus”, a robust, durable, and easy-to-maintain surface was selected that ensures reliable grip even when wet. This WPC decking board features a honeycomb profile and impresses with its stylishly embossed, multi-coloured timber look. It is available from specialist dealers in the colours oak brown, chestnut brown, and graphite grey. A classic grooved side and a side with block stripes are available to choose from. With lengths of up to 13 metres, a thickness of 21 millimetres, and a surface that can be used on both sides, “Compact plus” is very versatile – whether for new construction projects or renovations.

Sustainability meets durability

Naturinform’s WPC decking boards consist of 70 per cent PEFC-certified residual wood fibres and 30 per cent environmentally friendly polymer and are thus particularly low-maintenance and weather-resistant. The embossed, robust surface makes them ideal for high-traffic outdoor areas, while their durability ensures that they will impress both in terms of looks and function for years to come.

Naturinform supports sustainable construction with its own return system: At the end of their life cycle, all decking boards and profiles can be returned, just like any processing leftovers, and fed back into the production process. This recycling system helps to ensure that the valuable raw materials remain in the material cycle for more than 600 years and that the consumption of raw materials is sustainably reduced.

Naturinform offers products for DGNB-certified construction. All Naturinform decking boards and façade profiles are covered by Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) drawn up in accordance with international standards. All products are subjected to continuous quality controls and load tests to ensure consistent immaculate and first-class wood-based material quality.

Download: Press release
Product information: COMPACT plus