A neighborhood dresses warmly (CP 1/2009)

‘Energetic’ renovation prepares an entire city block in Düsseldorf for the future. Relius Coatings supplies thermal insulation and exterior paints.

Keeping warm: In addition to insulating the façade, balconies have been separated from the buildings to minimize the amount of heat lost through the walls. (Picture: Fred Urbanke)		t’s like a phoenix rising from the ashes,” says Frank Seidel, architect and territory sales director for Relius Coatings, standing in front of a large apartment block painted in bright orange. Red lines accentuate the surface, while the thin white borders provide visual contrast. “This is nothing at all like the way we found it,” he laughs, pointing to a graying, once-white building off in the back still awaiting refurbishment. The total renovation of housing blocks of 500 apartments, built in the 1970s, has brought more than superficial improvements. “The main objective was to reduce the buildings’ energy consumption,” says Seidel. Property owner Evonik Wohnen GmbH contracted Relius Coatings, whose logistics and service quality won against the competition.
To realize the improvements four of a total six of phases have thus far been completed. ‘Energetic’ renovation involves modernization and applying effective insulation to exterior building walls. The first part of the Düsseldorf project involved the installation of energy-saving heating and plumbing systems. However, most of the work occurred in the second phase, which involved insulating 40,000 square meters of façade. The Relius V550 thermal insulation composite system was used, the supplies for which were sent by the company to the construction sites almost daily.

A uniform system

Thousands of these 100- and 120-millimeters polystyrene boards have been delivered to the property since 2007, along with corner tracks, baseboards, mineral basecoat mortar, putty, mineral plaster and top coat paints. “All components have been carefully coordinated to achieve optimal results,” says Seidel, pointing out the importance of utilizing a uniform system and achieving effective thermal insulation, “because a system only works if heat can’t escape through other outlets.”

That is why the planners also installed Relius thermal insulation boards on basement ceilings, improved the entrance doors, put in double-pane windows, and added new unattached balconies and insulated roofs.

After the real work came the fun part for Relius: redoing the façades. An assortment of bold red and orange tones and mild shades of gray created by the prominent German color designer Prof. Friedrich Schmuck was used. “Now the apartment complex has a warmer and more homey look,” Seidel observes with satisfaction.

To implement this out-of-the-ordinary façade design, Relius created unique formulas for each color tone. Silcosan^® F1, the silicone resin façade coating that was used, played a key role, allowing highly nuanced color tones across a broad spectrum. “F1 allowed us to realize shades that are usually unfeasible for a façade,” Seidel explains.

“Even small amounts of special color tones that were required were delivered to the site on an ‘on time’ basis”. All parties involved are satisfied with the results – including residents of the Düsseldorf apartment complex, whose quality of life has improved thanks to lower energy costs and the buildings’ more attractive look.

New exterior look: Relius Coatings utilized the Silcosan F1 to implement a color scheme developed by the German color designer Prof. Friedrich Schmuck. The paints will retain their vibrant color for many years. (Pictures: Fred Urbanke)

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