A superlative new district is currently growing in Mannheim. At 114 hectares, it is the largest construction site in Baden-Württemberg. One of the most significant development projects in Germany will be built on the site of the former Benjamin Franklin Barracks by 2025: it will house 8,000 people, as well as office buildings, shopping centers, schools, and kindergartens. A total of 750 square meters of wood composite floorboards from the Bavarian wood composite manufacturer NaturinForm were installed on the balconies and roof terraces of the 100 apartments on Abraham Lincoln Allee, which were handed over to residents at the beginning of the year.

In 2015, MWS Projektentwicklungsgesellschaft, founded by the city of Mannheim, acquired the barracks site from the Federal Agency for Real Estate (BImA) and developed a modern and sustainable neighborhood on the site – with a development volume of 230 million euros. The innovative energy concept, which integrates the buildings with the mobility infrastructure, underlines the exemplary nature of the Franklin Barracks. Electric cars will then have access to electricity generated from waste heat in the parking garages. Many of the buildings will also be self-sufficient in energy: This includes renovated existing buildings equipped with photovoltaic systems. At a so-called Mobilpunkt (mobility point), residents will be able to choose between various mobility options – buses, car sharing, and bicycles. In this way, Mannheim promotes sustainable energy supply and emission-free mobility. The neighborhood offers space for various housing models. In addition to rental and owner-occupied apartments ranging in size from 30 to 200 square meters, there is also room for community projects. Numerous green spaces, sports fields, and an arena occupy a total of 60 percent of the site. Restaurants, craft businesses, and studios will contribute to a vibrant environment in the new district. As a reminder of the 60-year presence of Americans in Mannheim, the district will retain the name "Franklin."

Terraces and balconies: Investor opted for wood composite material

Construction began in the spring of 2016. The American military abandoned a total of five sites in Mannheim. On Abraham-Lincoln-Allee, the investor evohaus GmbH, under the leadership of HANEN Architekten from Karlsruhe, built the INGENIUM residential complex, embedded in Sullivan Park, a complex the size of more than ten soccer fields. This residential complex, located in the immediate vicinity of the city center, was designed so that only gardens, green spaces, and sidewalks separate the buildings. All vehicles are easily accessible underground in the parking arcade. Residents can find everyday necessities in the "Franklin-Mitte" shopping center. Kindergartens and schools, as well as public transport stops, are also easily and quickly accessible. When designing the flooring on the terraces, balconies, and roof terraces of the most recently completed construction phase, with 100 residential units on four floors, the investor opted for wood composite floorboards. The Franconian manufacturer NaturinForm was awarded the contract and delivered a total of 750 square meters of its Smart series in gray to the construction site.

The floorboards were installed by Grewe Heitmann Garten(t)räume GmbH from Ladenburg. The company, which specializes in gardening, was founded in 2005. Today, it employs 25 people and realizes garden projects ranging from small front gardens to spacious parks throughout the Rhine-Neckar region. HANEN Architekten had previously put out a tender for floorboards from another manufacturer for the balcony and terrace areas. "However, the construction situation included balconies and terraces where it was not possible or not sensible to create a slope," explains Stefan Krug, construction manager at Grewe Heitmann. The originally specified floorboards would have required a slope of 2 percent, which would have created height problems at the doors and the facade gutters in front of them.

Smart from NaturinForm, however, requires no slope, as accumulating water is drained directly from the plank due to its slightly curved shape, according to the trained landscape gardener and graduate landscape conservationist, who has worked in construction management and costing in landscaping for over 30 years and has been employed by Grewe Heitmann since 2017. His employees already have long-term experience with the "wooden material" type, but not with Smart, which, in addition to its "zero-degree advantage," primarily scores with its weight. This is how he was able to attract investors and architects to this plank flooring.

"In addition to the fact that the surface is curved, meaning the flooring didn't have to be laid at a slope, we were also impressed by its significantly lower weight than, for example, concrete slabs," says Maximilian Roth, who has been working in construction management at evohaus since 2015. "And last but not least, the appearance and design of the wood composite material supported our decision."

Thanks to the click-in principle of the substructure and the easy attachment to the pedestals, the construction team was able to install the material cleanly and quickly. 99 percent of the work was completed last fall. A few weeks ago, the terrace of the last, as yet unsold, apartment received its flooring. Although a decision for porcelain stoneware had been considered, this flooring was also fitted with solid planks from NaturinForm.

Intelligent design, timeless elegance and practical features

With the zero-degree solid plank Smart,the manufacturer from Redwitz an der Rodach has developed a product that is particularly easy to maintain. A slight curvature allows water to drain away automatically, allowing the material to be installed on terraces and balconies with absolutely no gradient. The surface supports this effect and prevents water from accumulating due to weather or cleaning. Thanks to the embossed surface, Smart– like all planks in the manufacturer's range – is non-slip and barefoot-friendly. The zero-degree solid plank combines its low weight with the advantages of a high-quality solid plank and thus impresses with its high stability. In addition to the color gray – as used in Mannheim – it is available in brown and anthracite. With a thickness of 19 millimeters and a width of 140 millimeters, it is available in standard lengths of 3, 4, 5, and 6 meters, as well as in special lengths from 2 to 13 meters.

Practical, beautiful, sustainable and recyclable

NaturinForm decking boards are a natural building material. They consist of approximately 70% wood fibers. 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 heat, thus preserving their natural properties. The combination of wood and polymer makes the decking boards splinter-free and barefoot-friendly. Additional advantages include moisture resistance, easy maintenance, dimensional stability, robustness, and resistance to fungal and insect infestation.

The production process uses exclusively wood fibers from sustainable local forestry (exclusively PEFC-certified wood suppliers). No trees are felled for this, as the wood fibers are a byproduct of the wood processing industry. This makes this material an extremely environmentally friendly product that is 100 percent recyclable. After the planks have been used, they are taken back by the company and returned to the manufacturing process.

NaturinForm is produced exclusively in Redwitz an der Rodach in Upper Franconia. "Made in Germany" stands for certified quality, the use of the highest quality raw materials, and the location.