Siegfriedviertel district of Braunschweig
The energy-efficient modernisation of a listed facade using historical plastering techniques is a demanding task that requires preserving the beauty of the facade while combining it with the useful.
- Builder:
- Nibelungen Wohnbau GmbH
- Photos:
- KEIMFARBEN
- Location:
- Braunschweig, Germany
- Products:
- Soldalit
- Klassik-MW
- Pulverkleber
- Brillantputz
External thermal insulation composite system for a listed building
The gatehouse of the listed building complex in Braunschweig's Nordstadt district, which spans several streets, was to be fitted with an ETIC system as a pilot project. The plaster facades from the 1930s were finished with a special comb-pull technique, which had to be reproduced on the surface of the thermal insulation. At the beginning of planning, surface techniques on ETIC systems were still little known. Today, planners, building owners and specialist tradespeople use proven rendering techniques to create modern surfaces - inspired by traditional craftsmanship that offer a wide range of design options and new variations.
Recommendation and realisation
The system manufacturer first confirmed the plaster design as part of the general building authority approval. Large-format, vertical sample panels were then produced and presented to the client and the heritage conservation authority. These were used to replicate real-life conditions, including involuntary plaster irritation due to gravity, as in the historical model.
Thanks to the historically documented use of mineral plasters and mineral paints, an ETIC system from KEIM was able to impress. The work was carried out by the regionally experienced specialist painting company Gustav Borrmann GmbH & Co. KG, which specialises in thermal insulation and historical plastering techniques. A mineral ETIC system with reduced insulation thickness was used because the existing windows were not removed and their position in the building was not changed. The conservation authority was particularly keen to preserve the appearance of the building and the character of the facade despite the insulation.
The street side was therefore insulated with 40 mm thick mineral wool slats, while the rear, the windowless gable surfaces and other subordinate areas were insulated with 130 mm thick mineral wool insulation boards in a bonded and dowelled system. The two coats were applied with a sol-silicate-based KEIM Soldalit paint, which is produced exclusively with lightfast inorganic pigments.
