Since 2011, the Mainz Customs Port has been growing as the new harbor district of the Rhineland-Palatinate state capital. By 2025, a mixed-use neighborhood for around 2,500 people will be built there, providing 4,000 jobs. The district's development is proceeding according to plan. Many of the construction projects have already been completed, including the "Hafenliebe Mainz" residential and commercial building designed by the Cologne-based architectural firm Römer Kögeler und Partner, featuring 180 rented one- to five-room apartments, a supermarket, and a daycare center. In the inner courtyard, "moving balconies" and the green flat roof form a counterpoint to the monumental façade along the busy street. The balconies, loggias, and roof terraces feature Compact solid plank flooring in gray, a high-quality, hard-wearing, and durable wood composite flooring.

Mainz has a long tradition as a port city, and the area along Rheinallee has always been part of the city. Only with its transformation into an urban district has the port area become visible and tangible as part of the city. The Mainz Customs Port is located directly next to Mainz's vibrant Neustadt district and just a few minutes from the city center. In a joint venture with Mainz's municipal utilities, CA Immo developed an attractive waterfront residential area for investor Aberdeen Asset Management. A mixed-use quarter for living and working was created on an area of approximately 22 hectares, complemented by retail, social, cultural, and gastronomic offerings.

Lots of greenery in the courtyard as a counterpoint to the massive façade

A defining feature of the "Hard Shell - Dynamic Core" design concept by Cologne-based Römer Kögeler and Partner Architects is, on the one hand, the massive, long-sided building form with a clinker-clad perforated façade, which, on the other hand, opens up in incisions to the green inner courtyard. The E-shaped building complex with three point buildings houses 181 rental apartments. A special feature is its location within the Mainz Customs Port, with direct access to the public marina and the "Loop" harbor walkway. The building at Rheinallee 64 created a "stable harbor building block" that does justice to the formerly industrially used site and its unique character. The majority of the apartments face the inner courtyard and are oriented toward the marina. In the inner courtyard, the "dynamic balconies," which are rotated and tilted relative to each other, as well as the outdoor space design on the flat roof and in the ground-level courtyard area, form the desired counterpart to the massive façade. The vertical greenery between the buildings connects the public area of the marina with the private open space on the roof.

Solid plank Compact laid on balconies and terraces

The contract for the green roof and the installation of approximately 1,400 square meters of Compact solid decking on the balconies and terraces was awarded to Plantatec Gründach from Wiesbaden. The company specializes in green roofs and balcony and terrace flooring. "In the broadest sense, we belong to the garden and landscape construction industry and are also members of the trade association, but our activities lie somewhere between roofing and gardening. Our customers are public, private, and commercial clients," says Managing Director Michael Sturmhöfel, describing his company. His team frequently uses NaturinForm materials. In addition to its well-known qualities, they also offer "very good value for money." His employees faced no particular challenges with the balconies at Rheinallee 64. According to Sturmhöfel, the suppliers provided them with custom lengths that made it easy to resolve even tricky details. "The planks are easy to install because they are manufactured with great precision. Furthermore, they don't have the typical weaknesses of wooden planks, which usually result in more waste during processing. Furthermore, wood composite materials are very easy to maintain, and subsequent painting and oiling are not necessary," says Sturmhöfel, describing his experience. He sees this material as "very much in the lead," especially for rented and publicly used properties.

Accessible balconies and terraces

Architect Klaus Hox-Beyer, Dipl.-Ing., a partner at Römer Kögeler und Partner Architekten in Cologne, explains a key reason why solid floorboards from NaturinForm were ultimately used. "For us, the issue of accessibility, or rather, the seamless transition from the living area to the balcony or terrace, played a crucial role," says Hox-Beyer. In intensive preliminary discussions with CA Immo, they agreed on the wood composite material – partly because of the low installation height, which was dictated by the structural situation. Another factor was the relatively low material weight, a concession to the structural specifications to facilitate the construction of the "balcony component."

For new construction and renovations: Versatile solid plank

With Compact – which, incidentally, was also installed within sight of the floating docks in the Zollhafen Marina – a robust, durable, and easy-care flooring was selected that ensures reliable traction even in damp conditions. This solid plank from the NaturinForm portfolio is available in a wide range of colors. In addition to the three standard colors brown, anthracite, and gray, customers can select their favorite from the wide selection of special colors from the NaturinForm color edition, as well as from all the available wood tones. The surface can be chosen between a classic grooved side and a side with block stripes. With a length of up to 13 meters, a thickness of 21 millimeters, and a reversible surface, this solid plank is versatile in its application – ideal not only for new construction projects but also for renovations when the installation height of a terrace or balcony cannot be too high.

Climate-neutral production with wood from sustainable forestry

NaturinForm specializes in intelligent solutions for outdoor flooring and profiles. The wood composite materials are manufactured at the plant in Redwitz an der Rodach, Upper Franconia: a material that combines the visual properties of traditional construction timber with the durability of a technical polymer. During production, the wood fibers are combined with the pure thermoplastic polymer in such a way that it wraps around each individual fiber like a protective coating. This prevents water from penetrating, yet the plank retains the visual and thermal properties of wood. This is a major advantage for areas around damp and wet areas.

Climate protection and resource conservation are top priorities at NaturinForm. For the certified climate-neutral production of its wood composite materials, the manufacturer relies exclusively on wood fibers from domestic and sustainable forestry (PEFC-certified wood suppliers). This means no additional trees are felled for this process, as the wood fibers are a byproduct of the wood processing industry. This makes this material an extremely environmentally and climate-friendly product that is also 100 percent recyclable. After use, the company takes back the planks wherever possible and returns them to the production process.

All NaturinForm floorboards and façade profiles are subject to Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) prepared in accordance with international standards. All products are continuously subjected to 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.