New development area in Bruchköbel paved with special paving system
When developing new housing estates, local authorities like to use paving because it offers many advantages over asphalt: excavations are not a problem and a paved surface usually looks much more attractive than an asphalt surface. When laid in accordance with regulations, paved surfaces can also withstand the usual traffic loads in housing estates. To ensure that surfaces last well in the long term, paving systems have become established that guarantee a long-term functional joint. One of these systems is the CombiStabil paving system from the Einstein paving block family from the manufacturer Beton Pfenning in Lampertheim. Thanks to a special technology, this not only offers the appropriate bonding effect, but is also visually in keeping with the spirit of the times. The paving of a residential street in Bruchköbel, Hesse, is a good example of this.
A few years ago, particularly colorful surfaces were still in demand in new residential areas, but today there is an increasing trend towards subtle grey and anthracite tones in surface design. This phenomenon can also be seen in the “In den Bindwiesen” development area. In the immediate vicinity of the city center, 35 detached houses have been built here in recent years on a former wasteland of approx. 3 ha. Dipl.-Bauing. Frank Rollmann, Head of Civil Engineering at the city of Bruchköbel, describes the final development: “After approx. 80-90% of the building construction had been completed, the final development of the new development area took place from October 2021 to February 2022. A few years ago, our municipality decided to pave traffic-calmed new development areas as a matter of principle. Because the house facades are predominantly light in color, residents often want contrasting dark and plain surfaces for the paving of roadways and sidewalks. We try to meet these requests from the municipality, as we believe that subtle colors are also more in keeping with the current zeitgeist.”
CombiStabil paving system in the color “rock“
For this reason, those responsible for the town on the edge of Spessart and Vogelsberg opted for the CombiStabil paving system in the color “fels” to pave the approximately 2,000 m² area: “Thanks to its anthracite-grey iridescent surface, this paving system in 18 x 24 x 10 cm format does not appear too monotonous on the one hand, but on the other hand is discreet enough to allow the street space to visually recede into the background compared to the high-rise buildings,” explains Frank Rollmann. An additional refinement: The individual parking spaces for the residents’ cars were finished in anthracite and set off with white water-blasted concrete blocks (crystal surface) – a real eye-catcher in terms of design.
Very good bonding properties
In addition to its modern surface, the paving system also has very good bonding properties. This is due to 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 the Einstein paving technology. This prevents crunching, the joint required to absorb traffic loads is always maintained, thus ensuring optimum force transmission between the paving 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 makes this paving system ideal for paving residential streets, as it can easily cope with the loads that refuse and furniture vehicles place on the surfaces,” explains Frank Rollmann. “Damage from this is therefore not to be expected.” The planner is also positive about the support provided by the manufacturer Pfenning: “The concrete block manufacturer Pfenning provided us with advice and assistance on many issues that arose in connection with the paving surface – unfortunately, not all suppliers are in tune with the times these days,” says Rollmann.
