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I D E A S , I M P U L S E A N D I N N O VA T I O N S F O R A R C H I T E C T STOP

After 45 years, Düsseldorf-based Rheinbahn AG has relocated its corporate headquarters from Oberkassel to the district of Lierenfeld. This choice of location was obvious, after all the com-pany already had a plot of land here and can use valuable syn-ergy effects through the connec-tion to an existing building. The Düsseldorf branch of the general planner agn Niederberghaus & Partner designed a six-storey, representative new building with an really unusual shape: With its H-shaped floor plan and the clinker façade, it reflects the corporate identity of the mobility service provider.

NEW BUILDING IN H-SHAPE

FAÇADE

Project data New corporate headquarters Rheinbahn AG, DüsseldorfArchitectureagn Niederberghaus & Partner GmbH, Düsseldorf branchClientRheinbahn AG, DüsseldorfFaçade clinker brick Alt Berlin FO FormatDF (240 x 115 x 52 mm) and individual shaped clinker bricks in different versionsClinker brick-covered surface approx. 3,000 m²

New corporate headquar ters Rheinbahn AG, Düsse ldor f

colours. The execution of the façade with thin-format clinkers and finishing in a wild lattice structures the façade surfaces.

The convex and concave lines of the building, the floor plan of which does not require a 90- degree angle, underline this. To achieve this effect, Hagemeister has developed shaped bricks in four different versions especially for the project: For the outer corners of the buildings, shaped stones with an acute angle of 77 degrees and an obtuse angle of 102 degrees were produced. Special convex shaped bricks were used for the connecting component. On the long outer surfaces, gently rounded shaped bricks finally provide for a curved shape, through which the building densifies from the outside to the inside.

"A durable building material should be chosen that meets the high quality requirements and that

While the H-shaped structure is based on the German bus stop symbol, the building envelope with clinker bricks from Hagemeister effectively sets the scene for rails, as Dr. Romulus Giura explains on behalf of agn Niederberghaus & Partner' project team: "The glass elements in the façade stand for the sleepers, the window sills and the sun protection, on the other hand, stand for the rails. The rounded corners should represent the non-right-angled course of the rails. The dark clinker bricks with an equally dark joint symbolise the track bed."

Over a total area of around 3,000 square metres, the grey clinker of the Alt Berlin sorting creates the association with track bedding. The structure and metallic appearance of the masonry is reminiscent of the play of colours of the ballast in the track bed. Together with the red Rheinbahn logo, which decorates the front of the building, the façade also picks up the company

A SURFACE LIKE BALLAST IN THE TRACK BED

»The glass elements in the façade stand for the sleepers, the window sills and the sun protection, on the other hand, stand for the rails. The rounded corners should represent the non-right-angled course of the rails. The dark clinker with an equally dark joint symbolises the track bed.«Romulus Giura, agn Niederberghaus & Partner, Düsseldorf

also conveys the idea of sustainability," says Dr. Giura. With clinker bricks from Nottuln, agn has found a natural and durable material that satisfies high aesthetic demands and at the same time contributes to the ecological compatibility anchored in the company philosophy.

With the creation of the new corporate head-quarters in Lierenfeld, Rheinbahn AG pursued the goal of creating attractive jobs and promo-ting in-house communication. The project with a volume of 35 million euros was launched in 2012 and construction began in 2015. At the end of April 2017, the 380 employees finally moved into the new corporate headquarters of Rheinbahn AG. The new building is the fifth head office since the group was founded in 1896.

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FAÇADE DESIGN WITH A PIONEERING FUNCTIONAmong the sights in Herne is the Renaissance Strünkede Castle in the Baukau district. The Strünkeder Höfe residential project on Jobst-strasse, not far from the castle, is also worth seeing and is exemplary for the city and the Ruhr area thanks to its façade design with clin-ker bricks. Where there used to be a series of jumbled together, unrefurbished old buildings, there is now an ensemble of four identical individual buildings. The light-coloured clinker façade is exceptional for rental properties in the region's lower price segment.

The project was put out to tender by the housing cooperative Herne Süd. It initially favoured a residential block development, and the decision was ultimately made in favour of this design by Tor 5 architects from Bochum, who provided a south-facing figure of four

individual houses. The four five-storey buildings create space for 58 residential units and loo-sen up the streetscape. Thanks to the east-west orientation, the living spaces are flooded with light and lie quietly away from the street.

The four buildings are held together by a mezzanine with a parking garage, above which there are newly laid out green spaces. The façade with Hagemeister clinker bricks from the "Strünkede HS" hand-stroked selection creates a uniform overall appearance: Warm and friendly, it shimmers in white and cream tones and receives special accents through the characteristic coal firing. The window frames and sills are in a matching pearl beige colour. The colour plan is continued inside the houses as well.

A highlight in the façade design are the rounded balconies. "With these we reacted structurally to the street corner", explains Mar-kus Wüllner of Tor 5 architects. Hagemeister made the rounded shaped bricks to measure especially for the project and supplied the balconies as prefabricated lintels.

The architect's office first had to do some persuasion in order to implement the clinker

»Clinker bricks are a great solution for energetically good projects, because they don't visually expose you.«Markus Wüllner, Tor 5 Architects, Bochum

façade. "But in the long term, the additional costs for apartment buildings pay off, as a clinker façade is durable and does not require maintenance", explains Wüllner. Regular main-tenance measures are no longer necessary, because it wasn't just the optical requirements that were large: "For reasons of sustainability we have decided against a thermal compo-site system with polystyrene", says Wüllner. "Clinker bricks are a great solution for ener-getically good projects, because they don't visually expose you". A local heating network with geothermal heat pump and photovoltaic systems on the roofs supply the residential buildings with heat and energy in accordance with the KfW 55 standard.

While all apartments were already rented before completion, tenants were able to move in from the beginning of 2017 after a two-year construction phase. Not least thanks to the new park-like green spaces and the common rooms on the ground floor of the buildings, a lively, at-tractive urban quarter has been created, which is taking on a pioneering function for further residential building projects in Herne and the entire Ruhr area. This has been recognised by the Association of German Architects with the award for good buildings.

St rünkeder Höfe, Herne

Project dataStrünkeder Höfe, Herne Design firmTor 5 architects, BochumClientWohnungsgenonssenschaft Herne Süd (housing association)Façade clinker brickStrünkede HSFormatNF (240 x 115 x 71mm)Clinker brick-covered surface 3,500 m²

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Austria and Switzerland are only a stone's throw away; and the way to the water couldn't be shorter either: Lindau on Lake Constance is a vibrant city whose old town attracts tourists. In the district of Aeschach, which borders directly onto Lake Constance, the Lu-Ki2 is a residential and commercial building that is a real eye-catcher, and it was built at a central roundabout. Hagemeister clinker bricks of the "Stockholm FU" sorting clad the façade, giving it a classic and modern look.

At a roundabout on Ludwig-Kick-Strasse, in the middle of a small pulsating quarter, a modern residential and commercial building has been built that takes up the external appearance of the surroundings. Contemporary structures and windows harmonise with the classic Hagemeis-ter "Stockholm FU" clinker bricks. The clinker unfolds its effect through the light grey and sandstone shades, some of which go into earthy brown-black. The overall impression of the façade is reminiscent of brick and forms an arch to the historic buildings of the neigh-

UNUSUAL ANGLED STONES ENLIVEN THE FAÇADEbourhood. The glass of the balcony parapets and the shading systems form the modern counterpoint.

The decision to use clinker brick was based on conviction. Sustainability and durability were decisive, and the maintenance-free natural product also scored with its versatility in colours and shapes. Above all the processing on the sorting characterises the façade in terms of design and, according to the client, forms high-quality exposed masonry. The walling on the sorting also contributes to a visually interesting and varied overall picture. Another special feature are shaped bricks with certain angles, which have been used on two corners of the building: Angles of 64 and 116 degrees break the traditional image of 90-degree stones and open up new perspec-tives when looking at the building. With the Lu-Ki2, Lindau has received a building in an exposed location that blends perfectly into the old, grown city and at the same time radiates timelessness.

Resident ia l area in Wedel, Germany Lu -Ki2, L indau

Project data Lu-Ki2, LindauArchitectureChristoph Price, LindauFaçade clinker brickStockholm FUFormatNF (240 x 115 x 71mm) Clinker brick-covered surface approx. 1,800 m²

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»The back of the clinker shows traces of the production. This gives the clinker a rougher texture. We used this sorting as the visible side and mixed it with the clean, dark red front.«Jan Klomp, project architect

Terwi jde shopping zone, Ut recht

Project dataTerwijde Loungekwartier, UtrechtArchitectureHeren 5 Architecten bv bna, AmsterdamProject architectsJan Klomp, Rodger van Leeuwen, Risko Reuvers, Sara BonetClientSBB, BeverwijkFaçade clinker brickMix of "Gent BU" and "Gent BU + FU" FormatWF (210 x 100 x 51 mm)Clinker brick-covered surface 5,800 m²

Terwi jde Loungekwar t ier, Ut recht

In the northern part of Leidsche Rijn in Utrecht lies the modern, dynamic and water-rich district of Terwijde. The southern part of Terwijde has a lively and urban character with detached houses and townhouses. This is where the Loungekwartier with 36 apartments was built along the Jazzsingel main street. The Hagemeister "Gent" selection was fixed on the façades on the street side. The architects Heren 5 Architecten combined traditional masonry work with bricks in prefabricated concrete façade elements.

Closed building blocks determine the appea-rance of the quarter. These are grouped in two rows, bordered by a grid of main streets (Jazz-singel and Louis Armstronglaan) and quiet side streets. Hagemeister clinker bricks were used for the apartment block created by Heren 5 Architecten. With the "Gent" property selection, project architect Jan Klomp created varied façade surfaces with upright and horizontal wall bracings, back-leaning and projecting façade elements as well as dark red clinker surfaces in addition to lighter areas with many colour nuances. Prefab elements with straps were used on the façade. "The rich ornamenta-tion, patterns and reliefs that this made possible

give all front gables a special look," says Jan Klomp, explaining the maximum freedom in the design. Each apartment is enclosed over three building layers in brownish-red façade fields, which are framed by protruding pillars. In addition, there is a light roof edge. In the lighter façade sec-tions, the sorting of the "Gent" clinker has been mixed halfway with the dark red front of the stone. "The back of the clinker shows traces of the production. This gives the clinker a rougher texture. We used this sorting as the visible side and mixed it with the clean, dark red front," explains Jan Klomp. Due to the building crisis, the originally planned apartments have now been converted into a block of 36 single-family houses. Within the urban development scheme, however, the Loungekwartier had to be implemented as a robust structure. "This required solid, closed corner elements. Traditional masonry was best suited here in view of the large façade areas," explains Jan Klomp. The dark grey joints on all façades of the Loungekwartier have been deeply recessed and subsequently grouted. This prevents differences between the joints of the prefab elements and those of traditional masonry along the façades.

CLOSED APARTMENT BLOCK AROUND A GREEN OASIS

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FLOES IN THE GREEN INTERIOR20 minutes by car from the centre of Basel is the Swiss city of Riehen. Between the pedestrianised town centre and the agri-cultural outskirts of the city, a new residential complex with three apartment blocks at 22, Schützengasse offers the advantages of both urban and rural living.

In their arrangement, the building bodies form an urban connection between the types of development with different densities in the town centre and the periphery. While in all three new buildings a rectangular develop-ment core serves as the backbone, each of the buildings is surrounded by an individually cut, polygonal façade - 90-degree angles are unsuccessfully sought here. "The block edge is broken open. The buildings stand as floes in the green interior," explains Okan Sevim of Ferrara Architects, who supplied the design: "Views into the interior of the plots are staged through expansions and bottlenecks. The dimension of the widenings represents the transition from private to public." This is also reflected in the design of green spaces: The

closer you get to the centre, the fewer plants appear. On the other hand, the boundaries of the meadows, orchards and fields of the surrounding area flow into the spaces bet-ween the buildings and thus act as a connec-ting element between the otherwise solitary buildings.

The three independent structures are also united by their uniform façade architecture on an area of around 2,500 square metres with Hagemeister clinkers from the Lübeck sorting. Their shades of red reflect the colours of the surrounding houses. "We opted for a clinker façade because of its reduced detailing and durability," says Sevim. The architects thus fulfilled the high demands on sustainability and appearance: The double-shell façade construction meets the guidelines of the Minergie construction method, a Swiss certification for sustainable building and the highest standard for low-energy houses in the country. Externally, the new buildings appear urban, but not overcrowded. "The overall design is reduced, so that the clinker

develops its full effect. The stone is never set in the detail development and is always in the foreground", explains the architect. The particularly narrow modular format of the clinkers underlines the elongated architecture of the three buildings on the horizontal plane. The sluggish formation with one-third of the runners staggered appears clear and concise. Elegant-simple metal windows in changing formats from parapet-high to room-high loosen up the generous façade surfaces.

The new buildings, each with three full storeys and a recessed attic storey, accommodate a total of 29 condominiums with flexible layouts. All apartments are designed for the elderly and barrier-free. While the public part of the buildings faces the street, the inserted loggias face the quiet garden side. The apartments at the head and at the end of the buildings also have closed conservatories.

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Res ident ia l complex wi th 3 apar tment bui ld ings, R iehen

»The overall design is reduced, so that the clinker develops its full effect. The stone is never set in the detail develop-ment and is always in the foreground.«Okan Sevim, Ferrara Architekten AG, Basel, Switzerland

Project dataResidential complex with 3 apartment buildings, Riehen Design firmFerrara Architekten AG, Basel, SwitzerlandFaçade clinker brickLübeck GT FormatModF (290 x 90 x 52 mm)Clinker brick-covered surface approx. 2,500 m²

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Project dataFashion store van Tilburg – NistelrodeClientVan Tilburg Mode & Sport – Nistelrode, NetherlandsOwnerEra ContourArchitectureGeert Bosch and Joost Kolk Hilberink Bosch Architecten – Berlicum, NetherlandsFaçade clinker brickFarsund HS and Liverpool GT+FU FormatModF (290 x 90 x 52 mm)Clinker brick-covered surface 565 m²

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Fashion s tore van Ti lburg, Nis te l rode

colour, texture and jointing," explains Bosch. Iridescent brown coal-fire clinker bricks of the "Liverpool GT+FU" sorting from Hagemeister were used on the street front. "The colour of this sorting enables it to fit seamlessly into the histo-ric context here", explains Bosch. In contrast to this, the architects used the iridescent grey-white to bluish-brown "Farsund HS" sorting in the entrance area. Bosch continued, "The entrance should be visually set apart and emphasised. At the same time, we have recessed the entrance somewhat to give all the space to the historic courtyard building and villagescape."

Bricks of the "Farsund HS" type also adorn the walls inside the shop. A logical use of materi-als, as Bosch thinks: "The heart of the building is a roofed outdoor space with the outer façades of the shops on the edge - the use of clinker bricks is also obvious on the inside. This required a stone with a high visible and surface quality from close up. 'The Farsund HS' clinker brick from Hagemeister possesses this feature. The sorting has a light base with a cement-like opacity and cool, grey to even bluish accents and a colour spectrum ranging from cream white to grey to brown. This made for an attractive interior wall," remarked Bosch.

The masonry is bricked up in a stretcher bond. The architects decided to install the "Farsund HS" bricks both inside and out without butt

With a range of more than 600 leading brands, Van Tilburg in Nistelrode in the Nether-lands is the address for the latest clothing trends for men, women and children, shoes and sports. Since its foundation in 1950, not only fashion has changed a lot – business has also changed dramatically. Since carrying out renovation and expansion work based on the designs of Hilberink Bosch Architecten in Berlicum, Netherlands, Van Tilburg have been presenting themselves as a collection of structu-res now featuring clinker brick adornment both inside and out.

The fashion store is located in the old village centre and is partly housed in a listed courtyard prominently located on the main street. This had to be integrated into the new design. Project architects Geert Bosch and Joost Kolk designed the shop complex as an ensemble of individu-al buildings with a covered courtyard in the centre. A new "shopping barn" complements the historic building and the existing retail shop, which was renovated from the ground up.

As part of this work, it was given a clinker brick façade. "If you want to design a building sui-table for its location both in form and mass, as well as in terms of materials, you realize pretty quickly that clinker brick is an optimal choice for the Netherlands. A clinker brick offers many possibilities of expression when it comes to

A FASHION STORE WITH A NEW LOOK

joints in order to emphasise the narrow, mo-dular clinker format. In the "Liverpool GT+FU" selection, butt joints can be seen: "Here we let the stone speak for itself. We wanted to make every single clinker brick visible. In the façade, the clinker has been processed on both the front and the back. The back is slightly darker and rougher and has more texture." The redesign of the fashion store gives Van Tilburg customers not only a comfortable shop-ping experience but also a real architectural one.

»If you want to design a building suitable for its location both in form and mass, as well as in terms of materials, you realize pretty quickly that clinker brick is an optimal choice for the Netherlands. Clinker brick offers a whole host of expressive possi-bilities when it comes to colour, texture and jointing.«Geert Bosch of Hilberink Bosch Architecten in Berlicum, Netherlands

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»We wanted a hard clinker, because it withstands the wea-ther optimally, but also because of the proximity of the forum to the railway area. The iron chips found here are problema-tic for a softer clinker.«Peter Keijsers, Project architect

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Project dataForum Reeshof, TilburgArchitecturePeter Keijsers (Bedaux de Brouwer Architecten) and Walter van der Hamsvoord (De Architectenwerkgroep Tilburg)ClientVan der Weegen Bouwontwikkeling; WonenBreburg housing companyFaçade clinker brick Gotland FUFormatDF SF (240 x 90 x 51 m) Clinker brick-covered surface 9,600 m²

The Hagemeister "Gotland FU" sorting in its warm, beige-grey shade was the first choice for Forum Reeshof. "We were looking for a clinker with both a chic and an impressive appearance," says Keijsers. However, the requirements for firmness and hardness were also decisive: "We wanted a hard clinker, because it withstands the weather optimally, but also because of the proximity of the forum to the railway area. The iron chips found here are problematic for a softer clinker," Keijsers continues.

Impressive from a distance, nuanced from close up - the Forum in Tilburg's Reeshof district is surprising in its effect. The new centre forms the structural gate into the district and houses not only apartments but also a small business centre. With the Hagemeister "Gotland FU" selection, the architects have chosen a light-coloured clinker that deliberately emphasises the building.

Modern single-family houses, aligned accor-ding to strict urban development axes, domi-nate the Reeshof district in Tilburg; shopping centres, parks and forests provide daily requirements and recreation. With the Forum Reeshof, a self-confident centre has emerged in the middle of the district that combines several aspects of urban coexistence: Housing, retail, gastronomy and medical service providers have found their place here. Inside there is a square that can be reached through high passages and offers a place of tranquillity. For project architect Peter Keijsers, it was important that both small and large standards harmonise with each other: "The aim of the design was both to interweave the new building with the district and to bring the urban square into the heart of the complex. With the Hagemeister "Gotland FU" selection, this interweaving has been perfectly implemented.

THE NEW HEART OF THE DISTRICT

Forum Reeshof, Ti lburg

The processing of the sorting of the clinker gives the façade more structure and expression. This impression is supported by the dark grey joint behind, which accentuates the masonry once again. The Forum Reeshof therefore appears imposing, robust and clear from a distance; the fine structures and textures that give it that spe-cial something stand out only at close range. The Forum Reeshof is confidently positioning itself in the district and forms a new, central contact point for the residents.

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Partner of BDA Münster-Münsterland

Partner of WerkBundStadt Berlin

Publisher: Hagemeister GmbH & Co. KG, KlinkerwerkBuxtrup 3 · D-48301 NottulnPhone: 00 49 - 2502 8040 Fax: 00 49 - 2502 7990info@hagemeister.de

www.hagemeister.deEditorial office and graphic-design: presigno GmbH, DortmundAdditional photo credits at the edge of the images

For a long time the church of St. Gertrudis was one of the few churches in Krefeld without a church square. Since 2017, the parish of St. Christophorus has finally had a meeting place for events and celebrations with its church square of around 400 square metres. It is framed by the new building of the parish centre, the venerable church and the rectory. For the construction of the new parish centre, Hagemeister clinker with the "Solingen GT" property sorting system was used.

Taking into account the integration of the existing old buildings (church, parsonage, old chaplai-nage) with the new buildings (parish centre and day care centre), a restrained, simple overall design was conceived. "The existing buildings were built with bricks. In this respect, the decis-ion for our office to build the new parish centre here from clinker bricks as well was an obvious one, in order to fulfil the urban planning idea and to design a new homogeneous square in

CLINKER BRIDGES THE GAP BETWEEN OLD AND NEWthe sense of a new building ensemble", says Alexander Kozok of the architecture office Kozok Architekten.

For the parish centre, the "Solingen GT" gra-ding with coal fire was selected, which is full of character and varies from wine red to violet. Especially due to the fine violet parts this selec-tion fits perfectly with the historical brick façade of the Gertrudiskirche and the other existing old buildings. As a special accent, individual, highly sintered stones of the bright red "Woerden Alt" grading were mixed in with powerful coal-fired smokes. "This makes the façade look very spe-cial and unique. It thus underlines the importance of the newly defined location," explains Alex-ander Kozok. In addition, selected parts of the clinker were introduced into the interior of the building, where it continues the fusion of old and new.

»The existing buildings were built with bricks. In this respect, the decision for our office to build the new parish centre here from clinker bricks as well was an obvious one, in order to fulfil the urban planning idea and to design a new homogeneous square in the sense of a new building ensemble.« Alexander Kozok, Kozok Architekten, Krefeld

Project dataSt. Christophorus Parish Centre in KrefeldArchitectureKozok Architects, Krefeld Façade clinker brickSolingen GT FormatDF (240 x 115 x 52 mm)Clinker brick-covered surface approx. 950 m²

S t . Chr is tophorus Par ish Cent re in Krefe ld

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