LUV8: dynamic, flowing, futuristic – drywall creates perfect transformation

Germerott Innenausbau GmbH & Co. KG won second place at the 13th Rigips Trophy in the Drywall category

Boasting extraordinary architecture, a forward-thinking energy concept and innovative automation solutions, the LUV8 in Hannover Isernhagen is currently one of the most modern office buildings in Germany. The new building offers light-filled office spaces with a high-quality ambience across four floors and spanning more than 3,600 square metres. Germerott Innenausbau GmbH & Co. KG was responsible for the complete interior construction and transforming the external design language into the interior. The numerous challenges included curved constructions, seamless transitions between different components, high-quality surface treatments, integrating moulded parts into various ceiling constructions and professionally installing cooling and heating ceilings. The Gehrden-based expansion team mastered every "hurdle" with excellence, earning second place in the Drywall category of the 13th Rigips Trophy 2021 I 2023.

The exceptional office building in Isernhagen, north of Hanover, has approximately 3,600 square metres of usable space and is home to six different companies. The four-storey building offers versatile, light-filled office spaces with flexible layouts, floor-to-ceiling windows and private access to balconies or rooftop terraces. Michelmann-Architekten GmbH, the building owner and architect of the new construction, occupies the entire ground floor, along with their team. The first floor is home to the new branch of Loxone Germany GmbH, among others. This building automation specialist has provided intelligent energy efficiency solutions for the LUV8.

Out of love for water

The LUV8 has an outdoor area of approximately 1,400 square metres. On one side, it is integrated into a new commercial area with good infrastructure, while green spaces and abundant nature surround the rear of the building. Its proximity to the Altwarmbüchener See, a popular spot for swimming and water sports enthusiasts, makes the location particularly special. The building owes its name to its proximity to water and Torsten Michelmann's passion for sailing: LUV describes the windward side of a ship. This connection is symbolically represented by the slanted wall on the second floor of the building, which is reminiscent of a ship's hull and was the largest technical challenge of the expansion project. The number eight in the building's name refers to its house number and symbolises the dynamic, flowing forms reflected throughout the architecture and interior design.

The entrance area of the LUV8 features a floating reception desk made of concrete. Germerott Innenausbau GmbH & Co. KG was responsible for the entire interior construction, as well as translating the external design language into the interior. Photos: Ralf Mohr Photography

Flowing forms, organic lines

The team at Germerott Innenausbau GmbH & Co. perfectly transferred the flowing, organic lines of the building's structure to the interior, primarily through the use of high-quality drywall solutions. "Perfect coordination among all trades involved in the project was the basic prerequisite for the success of this work", says Frank Fenselau, Managing Director of Germerott Innenausbau GmbH & Co. KG. "Thanks to daily meetings, we ensured perfectly synchronised collaboration. " Following the building's dynamic overall composition, the expansion specialists created seamless transitions between components, enabling walls and lining boards to connect with ceilings and light coves without any visible joints." On the ground and first floors, the professionals also seamlessly integrated kitchen units and built-in cabinets into the drywall. In the entrance area, seating area coverings were incorporated into the baseboard. To adapt to concave and convex curved surfaces, flexible plastic profiles were used to form the finishing edges, which were then smoothed into the homogeneous wall surfaces in three to four steps using Rigips ProMix Finish. Rigips ProMix Finish is a ready-to-use, highly white, fine filler offering excellent smoothing and adhesion properties to ensure a perfect 'zero' transition. The expansion team consistently delivered surfaces of outstanding Q4 quality, meeting the high standards.

The expansion specialists were tasked with creating a rounded and simultaneously inclined wall with varying radii between the floor and ceiling, modeled after a ship's hull, for the 'slanted' wall on the second floor. Photo: Ralf Mohr Photography

Curved wall and ceiling systems with Rigips GK-Form

Curved wall and ceiling constructions can be found throughout the new building. The flexible gypsum board Rigips GK-Form, which complies with DIN EN 520 and is classified as Type A, was used for implementation. "With a thickness of only 6 mm, the board can be bent to a minimum radius of 300 mm when wet, and to 600 mm when dry. This makes it ideal for creating curved wall and vaulted ceiling systems without fire protection requirements", explains Frank Fenselau. "All the required moulded parts made from Rigips GK-Form were prefabricated in our in-house competence centre for moulded parts. A total of around 300 metres of moulded parts were pre-produced. First, we converted the architect's drawings into CAD drawings with 100% accuracy, integrating the parts precisely into the curved wall and ceiling constructions on site. Precision was the top priority for all work at LUV8."

For the execution of the curved walls, all axes were first marked on the floor and projected onto the ceiling using lasers. "In the floor area, flexible profiles were then installed depending on the shape. Pre-punched Rigips UW wall profiles were used here. These profiles are pre-punched at the web and the flange is slit on site. The narrower the radius, the more profiles were required and the more the boards had to be bent." The lining was then applied in multiple layers using Rigips GK-Form. Joints and connections were filled with Rigips SUPER joint filler. This filler offers excellent adhesion, minimal shrinkage and very high joint strength when used with Rigips fibreglass reinforcement strips. "By subsequently applying Rigips ProMix Finish across the entire ceiling surface, a high-quality, homogeneous Q4 finish was achieved. All transitions were fully integrated and eliminated, minimising the risk of streak lighting."

The first task for the "Room of Inspiration", a retreat for employees made from individual wooden elements and curved walls, was to develop a template from the architect's drawings. This was then used to mill individual MDF boards using a 10-axis milling machine. These boards were then assembled on-site. Subsequently, the wooden construction was clad with Rigips GK-Form. Similar to the spacious office and meeting rooms in the building, the room niche was fitted with an acoustically effective perforated ceiling made from Rigips Rigitone Activ’Air. This improves reverberation time and ensures optimal speech intelligibility. Photo: Ralf Mohr Photography

Design highlights: "Ship's hull" and "Room of Inspiration"

In addition to the high-quality drywall construction of the walls and ceilings, Germerott Innenausbau GmbH & Co. KG achieved the "almost impossible" with the walkable "slanted" wall on the second floor, modelled on a ship's hull. "Our task was to create a curved and inclined wall with varying radii between the floor and ceiling, and a seamless connection to the ceiling. The complex interplay of inclination and curvature, as well as cladding the concave and convex interior and exterior walls, presented the greatest challenges of the entire construction project. Every intermediate step had to be individually adjusted, requiring an incredible amount of "manual work," says Frank Fenselau. The substructure of the "slanted wall" was created exactly according to the architect's plan. "Here, the profiles are placed close together to emphasise the curves and inclination, especially in the bow area, and are then screwed together. The required cladding, made from Rigips GK-Form, was also prefabricated in our competence centre for moulded parts. The fitting parts were cut on-site and installed step by step."

The "Room of Inspiration," a room niche made from individual wooden elements and curved walls as a retreat for employees, was constructed using a similar concept. "First, we developed a template based on the architect's object drawings, and then we milled individual MDF boards using our 10-axis milling machine. The boards were then assembled on-site. Subsequently, the wooden construction was clad with Rigips GK-Form." Like the building's spacious offices and meeting rooms, the niche also features a highly effective perforated Rigips Rigitone Activ’Air ceiling. This improves reverberation time and ensures optimal speech intelligibility. Additionally, it enables a visually seamless ceiling design.

Around 300 metres of moulded parts were prefabricated and then precisely integrated into the curved wall and ceiling constructions on site. Photos: Ralf Mohr Photography

Innovative cooling and heating ceiling system

The LUV8 stands out for its exceptional design, energy efficiency and low operating costs. Loxone Germany GmbH, a building automation specialist, implemented key sustainability and energy efficiency measures, including a modern photovoltaic system with battery storage, heat pump technology with geothermal probes, volume flow controls and a fully automated fresh air supply via mechanical window frame openings. Due to the high solar gain on the top floor, the architect and building owner opted for a heating and cooling ceiling system, which was also installed by Germerott Innenausbau GmbH & Co. KG. "The energy-saving system provides the necessary cooling in summer and evenly distributed warmth in winter," says Frank Fenselau. "In line with the shape of the walls, the climate ceiling also required a curved or flowing substructure, demanding particularly precise work."

In areas with high heating, cooling and acoustic ceiling requirements, the lining was done using the highly effective Rigips Rigitone Climafit 8-15-20 Super-R acoustic board. This graphite-modified, perforated gypsum board according to DIN EN 14190 has particularly high thermal conductivity (0.52 W/(m·K)) and a rear acoustic fleece. For border friezes and smooth ceiling surfaces without acoustic requirements, unperforated Rigips Rigitone Climafit was used instead. These modern heating and cooling ceilings contribute significantly to making the LUV8 a highly forward-looking and energy-efficient building.

The expert jury of the 13th Rigips Trophy 2021 I 2023 awarded Germerott Innenausbau GmbH & Co. KG with the silver trophy in recognition of the high-quality execution of the complete interior construction, implementation of the distinctive design language and goal-oriented, close coordination of all construction participants.

Construction details:
Building owner: Michelmann-Architekt GmbH, Isernhagen
Architect: Michelmann-Architekt GmbH, Isernhagen
Drywall: Germerott Innenausbau GmbH & Co. KG, Gehrden
Rigips Area Manager: Dennis Pietrzyk, SAINT-GOBAIN RIGIPS GmbH

The energy-efficient heating and cooling ceiling system provides necessary cooling in summer and evenly distributed warmth in winter. In line with the shape of the walls, the climate ceiling required a curved or flowing substructure. In areas with high demands for heating, cooling and acoustic performance, the lining was completed using the highly effective acoustic Rigips Rigitone Climafit 8-15-20 Super R board from Rigips. This graphite-modified, perforated gypsum board has particularly high thermal conductivity and a rear acoustic fleece. For border friezes and smooth ceilings without acoustic requirements, unperforated Rigips Rigitone Climafit was used. Photos: Ralf Mohr Photography

SAINT-GOBAIN RIGIPS GMBH
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Recognised as a system provider of high-quality drywall solutions by construction professionals, RIGIPS offers a wide range of gypsum and speciality boards, Rigidur gypsum fibreboards, profiles and accessories, as well as high-performance joint fillers and compounds. The tested solutions prove their worth in interior and exterior drywall constructions. Particularly, the system offerings for weather-protected façade constructions make RIGIPS the ideal partner for timber frame construction. With its continually expanding range of healthy-living products and highly effective fire and soundproofing systems, the manufacturer stands for maximum safety and comfort. The comprehensive product and system portfolio is complemented by a wide range of services and personalised expert advice, providing valuable support in the planning and execution of even the most demanding construction projects. At the same time, RIGIPS is committed to environmental responsibility, focusing on sustainable climate protection and the conservation of natural resources. For instance, gypsum board recycling options increasingly close material cycles, while product packaging made from recycled materials reduces the need for primary raw materials. RIGIPS has repeatedly been recognised as a "Brand of the Century" and is one of the most significant brands for modern drywall solutions in the German market. The company is part of the international Saint-Gobain Group.
In a nutshell: Rigips® – for better building for the benefit of people and the environment.

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