Low-energy houses with rounded corners

Insulated with panache

The Parkstraße in Bad Waldliesborn is one of the most popular residential areas in the spa town, near to the 20-hectare spa park. In 2015, a new housing estate for upmarket requirements was built here with three three-storey buildings and a total of 24 residential units.

The architects’ office Mense-Werner-Beyer opted for open floor space plans, lots of light and spacious balconies or loggias for the three adjacent buildings. The rounded building edges give the compact structures a fresh and sweeping appearance. The buildings are classified in energy efficiency class A. This low-energy construction method required a well-insulated building envelope. Not an everyday task for the rendering company K. + K. Hammeke, which was commissioned with the facade works. "Gluing the insulation boards to the rounded surfaces without causing thermal bridges or cracks was tricky," says owner Klaus Hammeke.

Another challenge was choosing the right facade render. This is because the modern construction method without roof overhangs combined with the immediate proximity to nature increase the risk of algae and fungi infestation on the facade. Therefore, Hammeke chose a mineral AquaBalance render (weber.top 204 AquaBalance) as top coat finish. The AquaBalance renders prevent algae and fungi on the facade through a physical active principle - without environmentally harmful biocides. This means that no ugly algae film can spread durably on the facade, which is designed with the colours white and anthracite.