Premium hotel impresses with unique architecture and exceptional functionality
Drywall construction on the banks of the Moselle: G+K Trockenbau GmbH awarded third place at the 12th Rigips Trophy
From a distance, the hotel resembles an elegant cruise ship moored on the banks of the Moselle near Koblenz. In fact, the "Fährhaus", which is built right on the riverbank, is an impressive luxury hotel with built-in flood protection. Spanning six floors, the hotel offers everything a guest could desire, including spacious, light-filled rooms and suites that are ultra-modern and stylishly furnished, culinary delights and a first-class spa and wellness area. Large floor-to-ceiling windows provide direct views of the Moselle nearly everywhere in the hotel, shaping the inviting white façade. The extraordinary structure, located only three kilometres from the centre of Koblenz, took just under two and a half years to complete. G+K Trockenbau GmbH from Neuwied handled the entire interior construction project. The team overcame the considerable and highly unusual challenges perfectly. For this achievement, the company was awarded third place in the drywall construction category of the 12th Rigips Trophy 2019 | 2020.
From a distance, the hotel resembles an elegant cruise ship moored on the banks of the Moselle near Koblenz. The "Fährhaus", which is built right on the riverbank, is an impressive luxury hotel with built-in flood protection. Photos: FÄHRHAUS Koblenz GmbH & Co. KG
"Developing the interior of such a top-class hotel is a significant challenge in itself", says Stefan Tholen, project manager at G+K Trockenbau GmbH. Besides the highest standards in fire protection, first-class soundproofing and perfect wall and ceiling surfaces are always essential. "Achieving that alone requires immense technical expertise and precision,” says the interior construction expert. The Fährhaus Hotel demanded a level of skill and know-how from him and his team that went far beyond the already high requirements."
A variety of built-in components, including ventilation rails, air conditioning units, lighting elements and large maintenance hatches, had to be incorporated into the suspended ceiling. Photo: G+K Trockenbau GmbH
Exceptionally high installation density
The main reason for this was the hotel's location directly on the Moselle, which frequently floods beyond its banks. For flood protection, the entire ground floor of the hotel was designed and built to be floodable. “The floor slab and the walls on the ground floor are constructed to be waterproof. Additionally, all window and door openings are equipped with watertight bulkhead systems that are visually inconspicuous. During flooding, the bulkheads on the ground floor, where the main entrance normally is, are – quite literally – sealed tight.”
Access to the hotel in the event of flooding is via a 70-metre-long escape walkway. This meant that all rooms had to be distributed across the upper floors. Furthermore: "Virtually all the building's technical infrastructure was, of course, relocated above. This resulted in an extremely high installation density in the ceiling and wall voids of the upper floor", explains Stefan Tholen. "All supply lines, such as those for heating, air conditioning, sanitation, modern communication and kitchen technology, as well as ventilation, had to be routed through small ceiling void shafts." Precise coordination with the planners and other trades involved was often necessary, as was the development of a variety of custom solutions.
For almost the entire interior fit-out in this area, the G+K team chose the Rigips Glasroc X board for wet and damp areas. This special fleece-reinforced gypsum board has outstanding moisture and mould resistance. It is classified as type GM-FH1 according to DIN EN 15283-1 and, due to its properties, is ideally suited for highly to very highly stressed areas. Photo: G+K Trockenbau GmbH
"The raw ceiling was hardly visible anymore"
The installation density primarily impacted the ceilings of the restaurant and seminar rooms on the ground floor. Numerous built-in parts, such as ventilation rails, air conditioning units, lighting elements and large inspection hatches, had to be integrated into the suspended ceiling here. As the raw ceiling would hardly have been visible due to all the technology, the hangers, especially those for the wide-span beams in areas with ventilation ducts and special installations, had to be installed as early as possible, even before installation work began. For this reason, the ceiling mounting had to be meticulously pre-planned.
The ceilings on the ground floor were constructed using Rigitone Activ’Air 8/18 Q perforated gypsum boards from RIGIPS. At the builder's request, these were finished with an acoustic spray plaster. As the ceiling was divided into sections by ventilation and lighting strips, accurately placed expansion joints at the junctions of the various boards were essential. Throughout the project, the team led by Stefan Tholen demonstrated a high level of planning and craftsmanship. Despite the building's large, multi-sided glass façades and the resulting pronounced side lighting, the fit-out professionals created perfectly smooth ceiling surfaces, free from unevenness or joint marks.
Whether a modern double room or an elegant suite, all guest rooms in the new Fährhaus benefit from superior sound insulation. All partition walls between rooms and between rooms and hotel corridors were clad on both sides with two layers of the high-performance Rigips Die Blaue soundproofing board. Photos: FÄHRHAUS Koblenz GmbH & Co. KG
Best sound insulation and perfect surfaces
The soundproof walls were crafted to the same high standard on the first floor and in and between the guest rooms on the upper floors. Here, the Rigips Die Blaue soundproof board was used. "To create slim walls that still provide excellent sound insulation, we constructed single- and double-stud walls according to the Rigips MW12BB, MW12BF and MW22BF systems, cladding them on both sides with two layers of the Die Blaue board. This allowed us to achieve a sound insulation value of up to Rw 70 dB”, says Stefan Tholen. Additionally, some shaft walls within masonry shafts reaching up to 15 metres in height were constructed using Rigips Glasroc F fire protection boards, in accordance with the Rigips SW02GR system.
The ceilings in the guest rooms were finished with Rigitone Activ’Air 8/18 Q perforated boards, just like on the first floor. Ceilings and walls were finally smoothed with RIGIPS ProMix Plus compound, achieving excellent Q3+ quality.
Flood protection included: during high water, the bulkheads on the ground floor – where the main entrance is actually located—are, quite literally, sealed tight. Photos: FÄHRHAUS Koblenz GmbH & Co. KG
Airtight sealings for ventilation in the ceiling void
Another challenge awaited the fit-out professionals in the penthouse-style top floor of the building. Here, you'll find the roughly 465 m² spa and wellness area with a panoramic sauna and an impressive outdoor pool. For almost the entire fit-out in this area, the G+K team chose the Glasroc X board for wet and damp areas. This special, fleece-reinforced gypsum board is exceptionally resistant to moisture and mould. It is classified as type GM-FH1 according to DIN EN 15283-1 and is ideally suited for highly to very highly stressed areas thanks to its properties. In this way, the board is also suitable for use in areas around pools or showers.
The interior construction was particularly challenging due to the extremely high installation density in the ceiling void of the spa area. "As well as the small ceiling sections, matters were further complicated by the fact that the ventilation is partially routed through the void, meaning we had to create airtight seals. We used special anchors with appropriate sealing plates for the assembly. To minimise the time required, the location of each anchor point had to be precisely planned in advance. Each anchor piercing the insulation and vapour barrier then had to be carefully resealed." Given these tricky constructions, Stefan Tholen has come to appreciate working with Glasroc X all the more: "Not only does the board meet the demanding requirements for moisture and corrosion resistance, but it can also be processed precisely and easily by scoring and snapping. For such a complex project as this one in Koblenz, that is invaluable."
Throughout the entire first floor, the G+K team installed suspended ceilings with the Rigitone Activ’Air 8/18 Q perforated gypsum board from Rigips, which was finished – at the builder’s request – with an acoustic spray plaster. Because ventilation and lighting strips repeatedly subdivided the ceiling, precise installation of expansion joints at the junctions of the various ceiling areas was indispensable. Photos: FÄHRHAUS Koblenz GmbH & Co. KG
Awarded third place in the drywall construction category
Much of what project manager Stefan Tholen and his team are proud of is hardly noticeable to hotel guests these days: acoustically effective perforated ceilings without visible holes, discreet built-ins, openings, ventilation slots and lighting recesses, two-leaf maintenance hatches, and the elaborate measures taken to manage the high installation density. “As a professional, you’re used to the fact that most of the technically interesting aspects are no longer visible once a space is finished. All the same, guests can enjoy rooms and wellness areas at the highest modern standard – and thus, benefit indirectly from this ‘hidden’ work.”
That these extraordinary efforts behind the scenes are still recognised is thanks to the Rigips Trophy. The expert jury rewarded G+K Trockenbau GmbH for the successful fit-out of the Fährhaus with third place in the 12th Rigips Trophy 2019 | 2020. The judges were especially impressed by the visually perfect and skilful execution. Difficult lighting conditions and the challenges of strong lateral light were overcome with significant technical effort, which included regularly creating new test surfaces. The technically perfect constructions, especially in the hotel’s wet areas, demonstrate the exceptional craftsmanship of the G+K Trockenbau GmbH team, according to the jury.
Whether a small seminar room or a large conference hall — state-of-the-art communication and presentation media were discreetly and elegantly integrated into the ceiling and wall constructions. Photos: FÄHRHAUS Koblenz GmbH & Co. KG
Project Details
Client: FÄHRHAUS Koblenz GmbH & Co. KG, Koblenz
Architects: Fries Architekten, Vallendar
Interior Fit-Out Contractor: G+K Trockenbau GmbH, Neuwied
Area Manager at RIGIPS: Frank Ditten, Saint-Gobain Rigips GmbH
Work and relaxation go hand in hand: On the penthouse-style top floor of the Fährhaus is the spacious spa area with panoramic sauna and an impressive outdoor pool. Photo: FÄHRHAUS Koblenz GmbH & Co. KG
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