Erlangen University Hospital, Germany featuring Dekton® Edora external cladding
The ultra-compact surface, Dekton® in the colour Edora has been selected for use on the exterior façades on the recently completed Erlangen University Hospital in Germany. The original building was expanded due to a need for additional space, with the two-floor addition designed sensitively to fit in with the existing architecture. Above all, a uniform colour palette was required for the façade, in addition to meeting the high functional requirements as expected from exterior cladding. Thanks to its excellent aesthetic qualities and numerous advantages as a material, Dekton® was chosen for the building’s panels, enabling the project to sit harmoniously next to existing structures.
An especially important aesthetic consideration the architect, Sabine Rossdeutscher (ByAK), faced was the medieval city wall remains, which run just past the building. Due to the project being in such close proximity to this respected historical feature, there was a need to source an external material that would integrate well into the surrounding environment, whilst also combining perfectly with the main building and meet the advisory board’s aesthetic specifications.
In total, 550m2 of ultra-compact Dekton® by Cosentino surfaces were applied to the façade in the colour Edora from the Natural Collection. Its colour palette of warm and neutral greys in addition to its uniform texture results in a modern, pure and natural look. The two-floor addition connects directly to the east side of the existing building and offers a new and attractive entrance to visitors and patients. The combination of pearl beige window frames, pastel blue ventilation flaps and bright bronze protective window films create a harmonious colour scheme, giving the addition a timeless elegance.
In addition to its aesthetic value, the large format Dekton® slabs also offer practical benefits when used for building cladding. The design of the façade, which is suspended and ventilated from behind, comprises a concrete wall 240mm thick, a layer of thermal insulation 160 mm thick, rear space for ventilation and a sub-structure to which the façade panels are anchored. Thanks to the material’s exceptional qualities, the façade slabs fit perfectly on the hidden aluminium supports of the substructure made by Keil Befestigungstechnik GmbH, allowing the weight of the design’s cladding to be safely transferred to the concrete walls.
What’s more, ultra-compact Dekton® surfaces, as a CE-certified cladding material, offer a range of additional technical qualities besides their outstanding dimensional and colour stability, such as impressive protection against water penetration and fire. The surfaces have high resistance to ultraviolet rays, frost and thawing, as well as high scratch and stain resistance, ideal for creating beautiful lasting designs. Due to the high density of the material, Dekton® surfaces are relatively light, and thanks to the large format slabs (3200mm by 1440mm) available they may be mounted with relative ease and speed. The consistent thickness (12mm) of the material will also allow the creation of a completely uniform surface.
