The main fire station of Regensburg, in Bavaria, was built in 1963, extended in 1982 and enlarged by the municipal building authority from 2001 to 2004 - mainly to create an integrated control centre for the neighbouring districts and the city. Already at that time in 2004 a general renovation of the existing buildings was planned, as, on the one hand, the original substance was worn out, but, on the other hand, the space required for emergency vehicles and offices was constantly increasing.
About a decade later, the time had come: a feasibility study was commissioned in 2013. Following the positive result, a competition for the realization of the project was organized in 2014. The office of Diezinger Architekten (Regensburg / Eichstätt) was the winner, and in spring 2015, it was awarded the contract to implement the new building in two construction phases and during ongoing operations, which had to be guaranteed at all times for safety reasons. The first of these two construction phases was completed at the end of 2019. Within the large urban ensemble with several wings, the corresponding new building forms an essential component of the building block parallel to Greflingerstraße, which now consists of three connected parts, which mainly house emergency vehicles and functional rooms:
- the right part remains unchanged,
- the middle will be demolished and renewed during second construction phase
- the one on the left is the mentioned new building of the first construction phase,
which inspires both inside and outside with its above-average design quality. The architectural link are tiles of the brand Agrob Buchtal.
Outside: ceramic tailor-made suit
For the facade of the new building, Diezinger Architekten chose tiles from the Agrob Buchtal system KeraTwin K20 in the elegant rectangular format of 15 x 75 centimetres. An eye-catching feature is the differentiated colour gradient of several shades flowing into each other. The spectrum ranges from strong, earthy cotto to a mystical blue-violet, which is subtly picked up by the side walls of the recessed windows. These deliberately follow a strict rhythm, thus giving the structure a horizontal and vertical stringency which makes the building appear filigree and yet present. The finely matched nuances of the facade ceramics were specially designed by Diezinger Architekten together with Herbert Kopp (Munich) and individually manufactured for this project by Agrob Buchtal.
The result is a canon of colours which is unusual in the best sense of the word and makes the functionally quite powerful building volume appear playfully light and filigree, but nevertheless self-confident. If it weren't for the garages of the emergency vehicles on the ground floor, one could also suspect a museum or any other cultural use behind the noble shell. This valuable impression and the characteristic style of the facade are seamlessly continued in the second construction phase: after demolition from 2020 and new construction of the central existing building, the 120 metres long block will then be even more striking in 2022 thanks to its lively homogeneity, attractive materiality and artistic facade look.
Inside: ceramic Haute Couture
The high standard continues in the interior. There, too, ceramic tiles of the brand Agrob Buchtal (series Basis, Emotion, Plural) act as an identity-forming link. In the corridors, sanitary areas, changing rooms and the professional kitchen, colour accents in yellow and red enter into an exciting dialogue with neutral white and anthracite. Care in detail at planning and execution is proved by the accurate laying of the wall and floor tiles with straight joints. Even the horizontally laid ceramic cove skirting was included as a visually elegant and easy-to-clean wall-to-floor transition. The mentioned black-and-white area has a special function. This technical term stands for a sluice in which the firefighters change "from dirty to clean" after operations. Even in this zone, which has been created with absolute practicality in mind, the visual appearance is not neglected, as is demonstrated by exemplary lighting, straight joints and careful tile division. The results are rooms and circulation areas which combine practical use with the rough charm of industrial style.
Hytect: additional daily benefits
The majority of the tiles used in Regensburg are provided with Hytect technology. This innovative surface coating gives special properties which are effective both inside and outside: tiles with Hytect are extremely easy to clean because water does not form drops but a thin film which flushes dirt. On facades, this leads to a self-washing effect that makes every rain shower an environmentally friendly and free cleaning. This not only ensures an impeccable appearance, but also significant savings in maintenance costs. Furthermore, tiles of this type have an antibacterial effect without the use of chemicals. This supports perfect hygiene inside, for example in sanitary rooms or kitchens, and prevents the growth of algae or moss outside. In addition, tiles with Hytect neutralize odours such as food vapour or tobacco smoke and decompose air pollutants such as formaldehyde or industrial and car exhaust gases in order to sustainably improve the air quality every day. The Hytect technology therefore reduces the amount of cleaning agents and their use, thus protecting the environment and saving time and money.
