Design of the surroundings of the sports hall in St. Katharinen/Neuwied
In villages with a rural structure, sports halls are often a central meeting point. Because the halls are often not only used for sporting activities, but also for festivals, music events and community gatherings, the ambience of the hall and its surroundings are of particular importance. The entire facility should fit harmoniously into the village environment, because visitors want to feel at home here. The focus is particularly on the design of the outdoor facilities, as these are particularly good at creating the desired ambience. When planning for the third construction phase of the sports hall’s surroundings in Sankt Katharinen in the district of Neuwied began in 2019, the planners therefore decided to pave the area with special concrete paving stones.
The small community of Sankt Katharinen in the district of Neuwied in Rhineland-Palatinate is located around 6 km north-east of the town of Linz am Rhein. 9 years after the new sports hall was built in 2010 opposite the fire station, elementary school and sports field, the local authorities decided to redesign the area, which had previously been mostly gravel. The entire project was divided into 3 construction phases: In the first phase, a parking lot including an access ramp to the side shooting range below the sports hall was constructed. This was followed by the construction of a parking lot at the fire station. Finally, the centerpiece of the renovation was to be a newly designed village square, which was built in spring 2021 in the 3rd construction phase directly in front of the gymnasium.
Center of the community center
Martin Reuschenbach from the Dittrich planning office in Neustadt/Wied describes the project: “The square is the focal point of the community center. It should serve as a multifunctional area. That’s why we have divided it into several functional areas. The entrance area, which has a slight gradient, was generously designed on three levels, which are connected by stairs. Some of these also serve as seating. The space is also structured by newly planted trees. The multi-purpose room with its large window fronts can be opened up to the forecourt so that events can also be moved outside,” says Reuschenbach.
Paving must meet visual and functional requirements
The planners paid particular attention to the paving material for the paving of the approximately 800m² area. Martin Reuschenbach: “From the outset, the focus was on design aspects. We were looking for a paving that would go well with the modern architecture of the sports hall and at the same time create the right ambience for the town center.” However, the functional aspects of the paving were just as important to the planner. “The square is regularly used for outdoor events at sports festivals,” explains Martin Reuschenbach. “The Christmas market is also set up here. As a result, the area is frequently used by heavy vehicles, which exert great forces on the surface when maneuvering. To prevent damage to the surface, it was particularly important for us to select a paving that is able to absorb the shear and horizontal forces caused by the traffic on the surface via the joint material and transfer them evenly to the base layers,” says Reuschenbach.
Modula Plus Granitoid – with composite effect
The Modula Plus Granitoid-S system from BERDING BETON was therefore chosen for the paving. This concrete paving from the Einstein paving family has a special interlocking technology that allows loads of up to BK 3.2. This is due to the interlocking elements, which are arranged in pairs to prevent the blocks from shifting against each other. To ensure that the joint required to absorb traffic loads is always maintained, this 12 cm thick paving is equipped with so-called D-point joint technology. This ensures that there is only minimal contact at the bottom edges of the stones when they are laid. Unlike many other interlocking pavers with spacer or interlocking cam systems, the proportion of the surface where the stones touch is therefore very small. This prevents crunching, the joint required to absorb traffic loads is always maintained, thus ensuring optimum force transmission between the stones.
“With this system, we are therefore on the safe side in terms of load-bearing capacity,” remarks Martin Reuschenbach. “However, we particularly like the elegant look of the Modula Plus Granitoid S stones, which are quite large at 60 x 40 cm. The granite-white stone surfaces are polished and blasted and create a fantastic ambience on the village square. The surface is visually structured by basalt-anthracite colored bands in 30 x 15 cm format.” The square was opened in July 2021. Young people in particular are enjoying the new design, as the smooth paved surface offers ideal conditions for skateboarding. And by the way: a particularly positive SRI value ensures a significantly reduced heating effect at high temperatures thanks to the permanently light-colored stone surface.
