Anyone who has ever visited Hamburg knows that the city is characterized by exceptionally attractive waterfront locations, especially in its sought-after residential areas. This includes the Uhlenhorst district. Here, on the Uhlenhorst Canal, the "Waterlofts" residential project was completed in mid-2022. Nestled into the natural embankment and numerous residential buildings, this canal is a paradise for water sports enthusiasts – not least because it is directly connected to the Alster Lake via the famous Fairy Pond. An ambiance that combines quality of life and living. This also applies to the slightly raised inner courtyard, which faces away from the public. It is connected to all apartments and, as a quiet "green space," invites you to an exclusive retreat. The roof terraces, patios, and balconies there are coveted front row seats – equipped with high-quality and durable floorboards from NaturinForm.

Exclusive living by the water

The "Waterlofts" project consists of two residential buildings, one of which is located directly on the canal. A total of 101 apartments with two to four rooms and sizes ranging from approximately 31 to 186 square meters of living space were completed in summer 2022. The offerings ranged from maisonettes with a townhouse feel, city apartments, optimally designed condominiums, to spacious penthouses.
The roof terraces, patios, and balconies here are coveted front row seats – equipped with high-quality and durable floorboards from the northern Bavarian specialist for wood composite materials, NaturinForm. Daniel Kmoch, architect and project manager at Günther Franke Gruber Bauherren, reports: "Since Kanalstraße is a premium property, we placed particular emphasis on the selection of materials. The floorboards were no exception. Their visual and tactile quality is in no way inferior to that of wood. Added to this are the material's design possibilities. NaturinForm, in particular, offers a wide variety of colors and surface finishes. The combination options for the different floorboard types also impressed us."

Premium floorboards for a premium property

The NaturinForm Smart plank was used on the roof terraces, balconies, and loggias, some of which were even installed barrier-free. Its advantage: It is particularly easy to maintain and therefore very durable. A slight curvature allows water to drain away automatically, allowing the terrace to be laid without a slope. This is a major advantage, especially in a rainy city like Hamburg. The surface of the plank supports this effect, preventing water from accumulating due to weather or cleaning. Smart is also slip-resistant and barefoot-friendly. Despite its low weight, it offers all the advantages of a classic solid plank, including excellent stability. Due to the high wood content, the planks are subject to a natural optical maturation: the desired naturally matte color develops after a few weeks and then remains permanently.
For the ground-floor terraces, Natureline plank with its smooth surface was chosen. Daniel Kmoch: "We were concerned that the very large surfaces might have been distracting to the eye due to the curves. Furthermore, we have a long drop here, where the smooth surface offers design and structural advantages. The boat dock was also covered with this material, creating a very harmonious look."
A third plank, Exclusive, was used outdoors for benches and steps. Its embossed linear structure and narrow joints of just 5 millimeters were the deciding factors. Lengths of up to 5 meters were used to emphasize the spaciousness of these outdoor seating areas. As with the other two planks, the client opted for the color basalt gray. This is part of the multi-colored palette offered by NaturinForm. The unique interplay of two colors in one material is impressive. The typical color gradient, as found in nature, is particularly effective in these colors.
Installer Jens Lüth also appreciates the advantages of NaturinForm's WPC planks: "The structural conditions simply didn't allow for wood because a low installation height was required. With these planks, this is just 44 millimeters and could be easily achieved with a flat aluminum profile. In addition, the NaturinForm planks can be concealedly attached with staples, which looks great. This isn't possible with wood. And a plank like this can't splinter either," he summarizes.
Another advantage of solid-colored wood composite planks is that they retain their color once they have fully matured. In contrast, natural wood continues to fade. This can become unsightly over time and also requires more maintenance, such as oiling or painting the faded planks.

High-quality solid floorboards with a natural wood look

NaturinForm planks are not varnished or oiled; they are already factory-colored. Custom lengths of up to 13 meters are also possible. Depending on the product line, customers can choose from up to nine colors or numerous custom colors. For the "Waterlofts" project, the color basalt gray was chosen – matching the urban loft character of the residential units and the clean lines of the buildings. It also perfectly complements the light, earthy colors of the brick used in the facades. Together with the anthracite-colored window frames and balcony railings, a harmonious whole was created.

Sustainable building material is circular and 100 percent recyclable

NaturinForm manufactures its floorboards according to strict ecological principles: the ratio of wood to polymer is approximately 70 to 30 percent. Only PEFC-certified wood fibers, which are generated in the domestic timber industry, are used. In addition, an environmentally friendly polymer is used – the organic component of the composite material, which makes the products robust, durable, and recyclable. NaturinForm floorboards can therefore be recycled up to 25 times, corresponding to a product cycle of over 600 years. Many responsible and forward-looking builders and investors value the security of knowing that the used floorboards can be used to produce new ones. NaturinForm takes back all products, including offcuts from processing. For returns from the construction site, the company has established its own take-back system, the Re-Form Recycling Box, which is available through specialist retailers. This ensures that the valuable, recyclable raw materials remain in the material cycle for many generations to come. At the Redwitz production site, the leftover pieces are processed and 100 percent recycled into the production process.

NaturinForm offers products for DGNB-certified construction. Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) prepared according to international standards are available for all floorboards and façade profiles. All products are subject to continuous quality controls and stress tests to ensure consistently flawless and first-class wood-based material quality. The company offers a five-year warranty on its products.