8,000 m² of Einstein paving for residential area in Bad Homburg
When paving surfaces in new residential areas, planners have a choice: either the surfaces are initially only paved provisionally while the building construction work is still underway or the surfaces are designed from the outset as they are to remain permanently – at the risk of them being damaged by heavy construction vehicles during the construction phase. For a newly developed inner-city residential area in Bad Homburg near Frankfurt am Main in Hesse, those responsible opted for the second option. However, thanks to the concrete paving block system used, there was no risk of damage to the surface during the construction phase.
A centrally located, high-quality inner-city residential area is being developed in Bad Homburg vor der Höhe on the approximately 2.6-hectare “Vickers site”, which was formerly used for industrial purposes, and the adjacent Humboldt School sports hall site to the north-west. The city awarded the site to an investor in 2018 as part of a concept award procedure. A total of 30 percent of the 285 residential units will be publicly subsidized. A full-range grocery store with a bakery and café as well as a daycare center will also be built on a small square in the district. The residential area is underbuilt with underground garages that will accommodate all stationary traffic. Along Frölingstrasse, three four-storey apartment buildings plus a staggered storey are planned, which are subdivided into three contiguous structures in terms of design. Along Schaberweg, the so-called gallery houses form the southern end of the plan area as four-storey pergola houses, also with a staggered storey. Inside, quiet, car-free residential courtyards are created, which are characterized, among other things, by a loosened-up, small-scale terraced house development with three full storeys. The open spaces in the interior are characterized by a high proportion of green areas, private residential gardens and a network of residential paths and neighbourhood squares. The aim is to create these areas as recreational areas for all residents and thus increase the quality of living and quality of life within the entire plan area.
Transportation facilities are built at the same time as buildings
The construction project will be implemented in three large construction phases from the beginning of 2021. This will also implement the requirements of the cycling concept approved by the city council in the fall of 2018. In parallel to the building construction activities, the city and Stadtwerke Bad Homburg v. d. Höhe carried out the groundwork renewal of the adjacent traffic facilities and supply lines. The planners were faced with the question of the optimum choice of material, particularly for the paving of the 8,000 m² of footpaths. Dipl.-Ing. (TU) Frank Lanfermann from Ingenieurbüro Ohlsen GmbH in Grünberg commented: “For time reasons, the traffic facilities in this area were to be constructed at the same time as the building construction. It was important to bear in mind that during the construction phase, a lot of heavy traffic would of course be rolling over the surfaces and the paving had to be able to withstand this load.”
CombiStabil plaster system from the Einstein plaster family
As the design manual of the city of Bad Homburg specified concrete paving stones for the sidewalks in this area, the decision was made to use CombiStabil paving stones from the Einstein paving stone family from Betonwerk Pfenning in Lampertheim. The special feature of the Einstein paver technology is the D-point joint technology, which 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 remains very small thanks to Einstein paving technology. This prevents crunching, the joint required to absorb traffic loads is always maintained, thus ensuring optimum force transmission between the stones. Shear and horizontal forces caused by traffic on the surface are buffered by the joint material and transferred evenly to the base courses. “This paving system can easily withstand the loads of the construction vehicles that pass the footpaths and access roads during the construction phase to reach the construction site,” says Frank Lanfermann. “We opted for gray stones in 30 x 30 cm format with a thickness of 10 cm and laid the stones in rows across the direction of travel. This looks very attractive and also meets all the visual requirements of the design manual.”
The first residents moved into the “Vickers-Areal” in mid-2022, but it will still be a while before all the construction work is complete. In any case, thanks to the CombiStabil paving system from the Einstein paving family, the type of paving on the footpaths offers good conditions for withstanding traffic loads in the long term.
