Concrete cosmetics of the interior of a labotary building.

Concrete restoration and concrete cosmetics, Merk laboratory building, Darmstadt, Germany

New construction of a laboratory building for the pharmaceutical and chemical company Merck. Exposed concrete walls and columns were reworked.

Location:

Darmstadt

Object:

Laboratory building Merk

Architect:

Koppenhöfer & Partner

All 6 floors of the new Merck laboratory building were renovated. Concrete cosmetic work was carried out in all offices and laboratories, corridors and staircases. The walls and columns were completely renovated.
A fresco in the company colours was painted on the exposed concrete walls over 6 floors.

The ceiling has a rusty colour due to particle rust in the reinforcement.
The corridor walls show leaking formwork joints.

After a cosmetic treatment of the concrete, the exposed concrete corridor was transformed and brightened up.

Exposed concrete corridor after concrete cosmetic treatment. The visually disruptive stains were matched to the desired light tone by applying different coloured glazes.

Between the individual concreting sections, e.g. foundation wall, slab-wall, there are construction joints that must be planned and executed with special care. The construction joints are particularly evident on the walls of staircases.
Discolouration of the concrete surface due to leaks in the formwork (change in the water-cement ratio) Leaks in the area of the construction joint lead to bleeding and gravel pockets as cement paste escapes.

The colours of the exposed concrete walls change in the light. The exposed concrete suddenly becomes velvety and soft.

Design of the 6 corridors with the Merk logo. A three-colour glaze was applied to part of the previously restored concrete walls of the corridors. Each floor has a different logo. The large mural is visible from the outside.

Many shades of colour while retaining the character of the exposed concrete.

We can do more than just "repair" concrete. We can transform a wall made of plasterboard (as in the photo) into a wall made of concrete. Whether it's exposed concrete or plank formwork: by applying a special plaster, the surface of which is reprofiled as required and finished with a final, artistically high-quality illusion paint, once the work is done you can no longer tell that it's not a concrete wall.

The concrete wall is extended by an imitation. As you can see in the photo, the sheetrock wall next to the window has been treated with concrete cosmetics. The effect is amazing.