The "Op dem Berge" shared residential building, which opened in September 2020 and comprises 24 residential units, is characterized by functional and linear architecture. The day care center is located in the single-story extension. A facade made of oak-brown wood composite elements was used as the outer skin to provide a color and material contrast to the two-story main building. Covering a total of 170 square meters, Creative XL by NaturinForm effectively enhances the "visual aspect" of the building complex.

In autumn 2020, the new shared living facility "Op dem Berge" opened on Germaniastraße in Essen. The project developer and developer is FM1 Essen-Bochold GmbH, and the operator and tenant is FAK Freie Kranken- und Altenpflege (Free Nursing and Elderly Care). The center is also the location of the outpatient care service. A total of 24 people live there, twelve of whom live in shared apartments. The apartments were designed for women and men of all ages with at least care level 2 who can no longer live alone at home or no longer wish to do so. The residents live in the heart of the city, with a supermarket and a pharmacy in the immediate vicinity. Each shared apartment has a shared living area that also serves as a dining room. The building has an elevator, spacious green and open spaces, and terrace areas. The roof terrace above the day care center on the ground floor of the extension is popular for chatting over coffee and cake or simply relaxing.

Beautiful like wood – but more durable and less maintenance-intensive

The single-story extension, with its oak-brown facade made of wood composite materials, stands out effectively from the two-story, white-plastered main building with its gray window and door profiles – creating an attractive material and color contrast in the overall picture. "We wanted a beautiful wood look here, but at the same time wanted to avoid the typical disadvantages of wood," explains Christian Penzkofer, Managing Director of FM1 Essen-Bochold. For an investor, arguments such as longevity and weather resistance, as well as low maintenance and upkeep, are paramount in such projects. With these clearly defined specifications, Penzkofer turned to the Gladbeck-based specialist firm Pluta + Lippek, which had previously been recommended by the Essen-based architectural firm KenChiku, which was commissioned to plan the residential complex.

“Only positive experiences”: NaturinForm recommended by the processor

"The client wanted a facade made of wood composite material and asked us, as a specialist company, about our experience with this material," explains Josef Lippek, Managing Director of Pluta + Lippek Dachtechnik GbR. Paul Pluta Bedachung, founded in 1972, became Pluta + Lippek Dachtechnik in 2007. The company, which currently has ten employees, specializes in the construction of pitched, flat, and green roofs, as well as facades, structural plumbing, and timber construction. Between April and August 2020, a three-person team not only installed the facade of the extension, but also carried out the flat roof and plumbing work, such as wall copings and the installation of downpipes. "In the past, we have used this material primarily on terraces, but also on facades, and our experiences with wood composite materials have always been positive, both in terms of processing and the benefits for the customer," says Josef Lippek.

Creative: Elegant exterior cladding as a curtain facade

For the single-story extension, the architect opted for a ventilated facade (VHF) due to the planned facade elements made of wood composite materials. With a ventilated facade, the functions of weather protection and thermal insulation are structurally separated from one another – a construction method that is considered reliable and sustainable from a building physics perspective. In principle, this facade construction can be used for all building heights and uses, as well as for all required insulation thicknesses. In the residential complex in Essen, its structural components are an aluminum substructure consisting of wall brackets and supporting profiles with fixed and sliding points, 18-centimeter-thick mineral wool insulation, a three-centimeter rear ventilation chamber, and the NaturinForm facade elements "Die Gestaltende" (TheDesigners), which are attached to aluminum profiles. The load-bearing exterior wall, to which the substructure is anchored, was constructed of sand-lime brick. An essential functional feature of the substructure is the formation of fixed and sliding points: While the fixed points take on the construction loads and the proportional forces from wind suction and pressure, the sliding points have the task of transferring wind suction and pressure forces.

Attractive wood look with convincing material properties

In search of a high-quality, easy-care, and durable material with a natural wood look, the client opted for a facade system from NaturinForm. Made from a natural, weatherproof wood composite, the elegant exterior cladding Creative is suitable as a curtain wall for both new and existing buildings. During installation, the rhombus strips are laid on a substructure using a tongue and groove joint. With three different coverage sizes, the design possibilities are endless. The solid rhombus strips "small" with a coverage size of 66 mm, "xl" with 99 mm, and "xxl" with 148 mm width can be installed both horizontally and vertically. Combining them opens up further design possibilities for interesting facade designs.

The high-quality profiles are available in standard lengths of four and six meters, and custom lengths are available upon request. The natural stone look colors range from light dolomite gray to cool basalt gray to warm lava gray. Furthermore, the wood-look facade profiles are available in oak brown (as used in Essen), amber, chestnut brown, and graphite gray. When professionally installed, the system protects the exterior wall structure safely and economically from the elements and damage. NaturinForm also offers easy-to-install stainless steel corners, which create visually clean and elegant transitions to the skirting.

Christian Penzkofer is very satisfied with his decision to go with NaturinForm. "The result looks excellent, and the material lives up to its promise," says the builder. "I highly recommend the product, and we will probably use it in future projects as well."

Continuous quality controls and stress tests

Climate protection and resource conservation play a major role at NaturinForm. For the production of its wood composite materials, we use exclusively wood fibers from domestic and sustainable forestry (PEFC-certified wood suppliers). 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.