As part of the renovation of the Sparkasse Bühl headquarters, the building, constructed in 1976, was reintegrated into the urban development. This also required relocating and redesigning the square in front of it on Eisenbahnstrasse. The architectural competition launched by Sparkasse Bühl was won by the local firm Planum Architekten. They won the design competition with a sustainable renovation concept that incorporated regional building materials and craftsmen. The proposal for a tree-lined neighborhood featuring a variety of permeable surfaces won the day. A roof terrace for Sparkasse employees to use for breaks was also created on the newly renovated flat roof. Graphite gray WPC flooring, Natureline, was installed on the approximately 150 square meters of flooring.

With the revitalization of its headquarters on Eisenbahnstrasse, the Sparkasse in Bühl consciously decided against a new building, even though the building was no longer up to date in terms of energy and technology. With an eye on the carbon footprint, the client and the responsible architects from Planum Architekten focused on climate protection and the continued use of the "grey energy" of the existing building. The multi-tiered building with wraparound balconies from the 1970s was expanded and modernized over the years. The new design, which was implemented starting in 2019, envisaged a redesign of the existing building to harmonize its appearance and achieve an energy standard comparable to that of a new building. This was achieved by, among other things, balancing the building's staggered structure by adding additional floors, creating a more nuanced pattern on the perforated façade with varying floor-to-ceiling windows, creating a thermally insulated plaster façade, and eliminating the balconies.

Tree quarters as a shady rest area

The revitalization also includes the inner city project implemented by the Sparkasse in the area of access on the south side. Due to the urban development of Europaplatz with the community center – previously located at the rear of the Sparkasse building – the client desired an equally important entrance from both the north and south. The architects therefore created a new access axis leading from the fountain on the north side through the bank building with a two-story atrium to Sparkassenplatz and the new forecourt. This also characterizes the Sparkasse's new openness, which, with its new concept, focuses on increased communication and interaction.

For this reason, the forecourt was also rearranged and redesigned. "This area used to be heavily sealed," explains Klaus Fauth, building manager at the Sparkasse, "so we wanted to create more open spaces here. So our idea was to plant more trees – also in the interests of sustainability and to combat overheating in summer." To further enhance the appearance, the team worked with Planum to develop the idea of using different regional flooring materials to ensure that precipitation can seep into the subsoil. For the central 10 x 10 meter square deck, they chose Natureline, a WPC plank with a distinctive and natural-looking, multicolored wood grain, in graphite gray to match the color scheme.

Natureline presents itself as the center of the square

To avoid waste, the planks for the area were delivered in custom lengths of 10 meters. The space is defined by curbstones that were precisely redesigned and laid in place. A gravel bed followed, onto which the NaturinForm substructure, which was identical to the system, was placed. The planks were then laid flush with the adjacent paving stones and invisibly screwed in place. This allows any water to seep into the ground through the joints. Four circular cutouts were sawn for the trees, which are symmetrically distributed across the area. Two circular, wooden seating areas, each with tree cutouts, were screwed diagonally to each other onto the planks. Architect Michael Schönle comments: "After the entire square was redesigned and completely demolished as part of the new urban development, a communication hub was created with wooden seating and a comfortable flooring made of WPC planks under a shady canopy of trees – once the trees have grown properly."

A roof terrace “on top” for the employees

A similarly communicative anchor point can be found on the Sparkasse's large roof terrace, which was created on the building's newly greened flat roof. To avoid structural problems, the usable and accessible area was limited, and a separate steel structure was anchored to the roof in front of the greenery. "The roof terrace is for the employees," explains Klaus Fauth. "It's used for meetings and lunch breaks, but also for barbecues. We've had some really great parties up here." Especially in this elevated area, the safety aspect offered by NaturinForm planks, with their anti-slip properties and temperature resistance, played a very important role in the choice of flooring. But the visual contrast provided by the graphite-gray Natureline was also important. It should be immediately apparent which areas are accessible and which are not. For this reason, the planks were installed somewhat higher, on a platform.

Own and external references helped in the selection of the covering

Architect Michael Schönle is already familiar with the advantages of NaturinForm's WPC decking from his own reference projects, where he has used NaturinForm's solid decking for more than ten years and has had nothing but "good experiences." However, these were exclusively residential projects, so he asked colleagues: "In a town hall forecourt in Bruchsal, planners and clients had only positive things to say about the slip resistance, cleaning, and stability of NaturinForm decking and confirmed that they would use the material again. Therefore, it was easy for us to recommend the product to the savings bank."

The client discovered another advantage quite by chance after the first winter. Klaus Fauth commented: "The roof terrace had become mossy and green over the winter. Now we know that, and that this is also the case with any other surface – perhaps even more so because the terrace is on the north side. But the moss was easy to remove immediately with a pressure washer. That's why we usually do a thorough cleaning at the beginning of April, when the first warm days arrive. It looks like new afterwards, and we can even use the terrace for our first meetings. So, I'm now totally convinced by the WPC surface."

Versatility combined with sustainability

NaturinForm planks are not varnished or oiled; they are already factory-colored. Depending on the product line, customers can choose from up to 31 colors. Another advantage is the high wood content. For NaturinForm WPC, the wood-to-polymer ratio is approximately 70 percent to 30 percent.

WPC from NaturinForm is also 100% recyclable. With its own recycling system, the "Re-Form Recycling Box," the company is helping to keep these valuable raw materials in the material cycle for more than 600 years. Any leftover pieces or dismantled material can be collected in the "Re-Form Recycling Box," which is delivered free of charge to the construction site. After the construction site is complete, or when the box is full, the remaining material is picked up for recycling at the production plant in Redwitz an der Rodach, northern Bavaria.

NaturinForm manufactures its floorboards strictly according to ecological principles: Only PEFC-certified wood fibers from sustainable forestry, which are generated by the wood processing industry, are used. The organic component of the composite material is an environmentally friendly polymer. Unlike conventional wood, NaturinForm floorboards do not require the use of environmentally harmful chemicals for maintenance. Clean water is sufficient for cleaning. No microplastics are washed out.

NaturinForm offers products for DGNB-certified construction. All NaturinForm decking and facade profiles are provided with 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.