The impressive new four-story cafeteria building in Montabaur, Rhineland-Palatinate, has been expanding the 1&1 headquarters in the ICE Park since 2021. The cafeteria building, constructed by the real estate company SKET, serves lunch to 1&1's approximately 1,500 employees. The new company building, located directly on the artificial Aubachsee lake, was designed by local architects Graf + Graf. The striking feature is the expansive terrace, located directly at water level. With its warm wood-effect flooring, it contrasts with the cool concrete and glass architecture. Natureline WPC floorboards in chestnut brown were installed across the 365 square meters.

High-speed internet, all-net flat rates, the latest smartphones – the telecommunications provider 1&1 is now one of Germany's most internationally recognized brands. Founded in 1988 by Ralph Dommermuth in his hometown of Montabaur in the Westerwald region, the global corporation has been listed on the stock exchange since 1998.

The company headquarters in Montabaur, Rhineland-Palatinate, is located in the so-called ICE Park on Elgendorfer Straße, with direct access to the ICE high-speed train. In 2021, it was expanded with a puristic new building in white and gray. The design was designed by Graf+Graf Architekten, also based in Montabaur. Located directly on Lake Aubach, the spacious building houses the company canteen for the approximately 1,500 employees, as well as the executive floor and additional conference rooms. Below the ground-level canteen, at lake level, is a bar with a spacious terrace directly on the water – equipped with the NaturinForm Natureline flooring.

Outdoor terrace with water views

"Pied dans l'eau" (with your feet in the water) is what these box seats are called in French. The terrace is located exactly at water level. From there, the view sweeps over the lake and the water fountain installed within. The greenery of the adjacent forest is intended to help employees relax.

The artificially created Aubachsee, which also serves as a stormwater retention basin during heavy rainfall, had to be temporarily drained for the foundation work. A sealed concrete basin was installed for the terrace jutting out into the lake. Due to the damp subsoil, it was necessary to drive piles into the ground to provide the structure with the necessary stability.

Natureline shines as a warm WPC flooring with a wood look

The question of patio flooring wasn't a concern for architect Werner Graf. He knew immediately that it would be WPC decking from NaturinForm: "We've used these decking several times and have always been satisfied. I have the same material on my own patio, so I know it from personal experience."

For the "Lakeside Terrace," the architects chose Natureline plank in chestnut brown. It is made from a high-quality wood composite material manufactured in Germany and features a distinctive, multicolored wood grain with a soft surface texture. Tested by TÜV Rheinland, the planks are slip-resistant (R12 according to DIN 51130) and particularly recommended for use in waterfront areas. The material composition of NaturinForm's WPC planks, in which PEFC-certified industrial wood waste fibers are thermally bonded with a polymer (30 percent), significantly prevents moisture penetration. This makes them both more slip-resistant than conventional wooden planks and much more robust. This gives the planks a particularly long service life, corresponding to durability class 1.

Due to the high wood content, the multi-colored planks, which are solidly extruded and completely dyed using an innovative process, also undergo a natural visual maturation process. The desired matte color tone is achieved after the color maturation process is complete and will remain constant thereafter – unlike natural wood, which continues to fade. NaturinForm's WPC is also very easy to maintain. One or two thorough cleanings per year are sufficient – treatments, whether with paint, oil, or glaze, are not necessary.

Professional processors convinced by NaturinForm planks

Installer René Faßheber also knows the advantages of NaturinForm products. He has installed several thousand square meters of NaturinForm WPC decking over the past ten years. He says: "Among my more than 100 construction sites where NaturinForm decking was used, this project was a real highlight. Not only because the construction period fell during the winter months, with temperatures sometimes reaching minus six degrees Celsius. That was quite a challenge."

To fulfill the client's wish for an attractive and consistent look for the decking, he laid the planks end to end without any visible staples. This creates the impression of a single plank, each 36 meters long. And Faßheber was able to easily install the five- and six-meter-long planks on his own. For the substructure, the experienced craftsman stuck to the system and relied on NaturinForm's extensive range of accessories, which are precisely tailored to the planks. On the floor of the concrete tray specially cast for the terrace, he placed the terrace feet and aluminum substructure at a distance of approximately 33 centimeters instead of 40 centimeters, closer than usual. This provided for the greatest possible stability under potential loads – for example, from heavy parasols or planters.

Faßheber's conclusion for this project is the same: "NaturinForm simply produces top-quality floorboards with an extremely good price-performance ratio. Real wood is significantly more expensive in comparison – especially when it comes to the follow-up costs for maintenance and replacement." Sustainability also plays a major role for the craftsman. Faßheber therefore appreciates NaturinForm's recycling system. It allows him to collect any leftover pieces in the "Re-Form Recycling Box," which is delivered free of charge to the construction site. After the construction site is finished, or when the box is full, the leftover material is picked up for recycling at the production plant in Redwitz ad Rodach, northern Bavaria. NaturinForm's WPC is 100% recyclable. With this circular system, the company is helping to keep these valuable raw materials in the material cycle for more than 600 years.

Versatility combined with sustainability

NaturinForm planks are not varnished or oiled; they are already factory-dyed. 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.

The client's request for the company canteen's terrace was for a particularly natural wood look, which the wood grain of this plank, combined with the selected chestnut brown color, perfectly fulfilled. This provided the required counterpoint to the building's cool, puristic concrete and glass architecture.

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.