In August 2018, the Schabmüller Group moved into its new headquarters in a prominent location in Ingolstadt's city center. The architecturally striking office complex on the Westliche Ringstraße was built on the site of the former traditional "Ludwigsgarten" restaurant. The prestigious building is flooded with light and offers its employees a pleasant view of the surrounding countryside – whether of the Schutter River flowing past or the Glacis, a green belt surrounding Ingolstadt. In designing the entire building, the architects opted for high-quality materials, and for the outdoor flooring, the client opted for wood composite decking from the range of Bavarian manufacturer Naturinform. A total of around 130 square meters of Smart brown decking were installed on the various terraces.

Founded in 1978, Schabmüller Maschinenbau laid the foundation for today's Franz Schabmüller Group with the production of farm loaders and small tractors. The group currently employs over 1,100 people across ten companies and generates sales of approximately €180 million. Production takes place at several locations in Germany.

“Ludwigsgarten”: formerly a meeting place for beer and snacks – today an extravagant office complex

The new office complex was built on the site of a former traditional restaurant, whose history can be traced back to 1856. For many decades, Ingolstadt residents would stop there on Sunday strolls and enjoy a beer and a snack on the banks of the Schutter River. Later, the popular meeting place was renamed "Ludwigsgarten." The building stood vacant for a long time and was eventually acquired by the Schabmüller Group as the site of its new headquarters. The name "Ludwigsgarten" remained. The new Ingolstadt headquarters accommodates around 30 employees, and the company's training and seminar facilities are also housed in the new building.

The new headquarters was designed and planned by the Karlsruhe-based Vollack Group, which specializes in the methodical planning and construction of office, industrial, and healthcare buildings. The company won the competition for the building's design. "The confined site and the topography, with its offset floor levels relative to the adjacent Schutter river, presented a real challenge," says Wolfgang Eitel, partner and managing director of the Vollack unit archiTec.

Smart scores with attractive appearance and material-typical properties

The approximately 1,400 square meters of usable space – 800 square meters of which are office space – feature a facade made of embossed sheet steel with a special reddish-brown coating on the two upper floors, which significantly characterizes the building's appearance. The ground and basement floors, with their light Jura marble cladding, further visually highlight the upper floors. Overall, the building bears the signature of company boss Franz Schabmüller, who consistently used high-quality materials in its design. "For the outdoor flooring in front of the conference rooms in the basement and on the roof terrace on the second floor, we chose Smart decking from NaturinForm because of its robustness and easy maintenance," says Franz Schabmüller. "The combination of feel, appearance, durability, and suitability for use near water was also a deciding factor in the decision," adds Wolfgang Eitel. Bangkirai planks were originally also on the shortlist, but the wood composite material was ultimately chosen.

In addition to the elegant wood look of the plank, the client was also impressed by the material's typical properties and "smart" technical criteria. The zero-degree solid plank Smart with its slight curvature allowing water to drain automatically, can be installed on terraces and balconies without any incline. The surface texture supports this effect and prevents water from accumulating due to weather or cleaning. Thanks to the embossed surface, Smart is also slip-resistant (R10) and comfortable to walk on. Despite its low weight and a thickness of just 19 millimeters, the zero-degree solid plank is extremely stable and robust. In addition to the classic colors of brown, gray, and anthracite, it is also available as a natural line edition in oak, amber, and chestnut brown, as well as graphite and basalt gray.

Specialist company Spindler: Very good experience with wood composite materials

Spindler Roofing and Plumbing was commissioned to install the decking on the patio and roof terrace, as well as an exterior walkway. Founded in 1990 by Karl and Waltraud Spindler, the Ingolstadt-based company, with its current 25 employees, is now run by the second generation. With its core expertise in roofs and building envelopes, the company handles all work on pitched and flat roofs, as well as facades. Other key areas of expertise include balcony and terrace waterproofing, structural waterproofing, and the professional installation of balcony and terrace coverings.
"We've always had very positive experiences with wood composite materials," explains junior partner and authorized signatory Hans Spindler. "Product features such as ease of installation, durability, and surface quality are what convince us as a specialist company," says Spindler. The decision to use Smart from Naturinform was made jointly with the landscaping company commissioned. "On the one hand, durability was paramount, but on the other hand, the appearance was also of great importance to the client," recalls the 47-year-old master roofer and plumber. A decisive argument was the fact that the "Smarte" combines the water-repellent properties of the wood composite material with a curved surface. Due to the curvature towards the center, water caused by weathering or cleaning is automatically drained away.

"Basically, it is our goal to convince building owners of the general advantages of this material and, above all, its installation method," says Hans Spindler. "For us as roofers, it is always important to allow surface water to drain away as quickly as possible." In addition to the "integrated, built-in slope," he also appreciates the material's dimensional stability, which enables quick and easy installation. "Warping, as is often the case with wood, does not occur here." Hans Spindler points out another important issue. "In consultations, our customers repeatedly bring up the issue of the material's 'graying'." Especially with partially covered balconies or terraces, this leads to permanent color differences that the customer dislikes, the professional knows. "This unsightly development can be minimized with wood composite decking." The work on completing the terrace areas in the new Schabmüller headquarters went smoothly, says Hans Spindler. "Thanks to the professional planning and preparation by the landscaper, who optimally prepared the subfloor with a gravel bed and concrete slabs following our preparations, our team was able to install the planks quickly, also thanks to the base profiles with a click function. However, to avoid creating sections that were too small, the position of the individual planks was measured in advance." And the client is also satisfied: "The large patio terrace in the basement is particularly popular with everyone, whether external seminar participants or our employees. The patio has become a real meeting place. Which isn't really surprising, because the ambiance there is magnificent in any weather and extremely relaxing. A green oasis in everyday office life," says Franz Schabmüller.

Durable, easy to care for and resilient

Smart stands for durability and ease of care: Like all Naturinform floorboards, the wood is refined with the addition of a technical polymer to create a water-repellent surface. Green growth stands no chance. The special curvature further optimizes this effect. At the same time, it is barefoot-friendly, safe to walk on, and slip-resistant. The wavy embossing offers another advantage: it refracts light, enhancing the elegant wood look. By omitting grooves, Smart also saves on height, which is just 19 millimeters. And yet it can still "bear heavy loads": its own weight of 2.7 kilograms per linear meter is offset by a load-bearing capacity of 400 kilograms per square decimeter. The material's ease of care is reflected in the fact that it does not require varnishing or oiling, even later, and can be cleaned only with clean water.

Sustainable building material is 100 percent recyclable

Naturinform decking boards are a sustainable building material. They consist of approximately 70% wood fiber. The remaining 30% is composed of an environmentally friendly polymer (thermoplastic binder). As a wood composite material, the two components are fused together under pressure and temperature, thus preserving their natural properties. Production uses exclusively wood fibers from sustainable local forestry (exclusively PEFC-certified wood suppliers). No trees are felled specifically for this purpose, as the wood fibers are a byproduct of the wood processing industry. This makes this material an extremely environmentally friendly product that is 100% recyclable. After use, the boards are taken back by the company after inspection and returned to the production process.