When durability becomes the star pupil
The greatest potential often lies in existing structures: A renovation solution at Gymnasium Süderelbe demonstrates how effort, costs, and interventions can be significantly reduced. It serves as an example of how material quality unfolds its…
50 years in use: nora rubber flooring at Gymnasium Süderelbe successfully refurbished instead of replaced
The Gymnasium Süderelbe in the Hamburg district of Neugraben-Fischbek was built in 1971 and continues to impress today with its striking, comb-like architecture on a hillside. The distinctive building structure gives the school grounds clear lines and a sharp architectural profile. This character continues inside: The norament 925 rubber flooring, with its signature round pastilles, echoes the architectural language and has always stood for robustness and timeless design. 50 years of heavy use made a comprehensive renovation of the building necessary—including an inspection of all floor surfaces. The auditorium presented a particularly unique challenge. Due to the fixed seating, the chairs are cast into the concrete ceiling, and installing new flooring would have required a complex dismantling of the entire rows of seats. This would have been extremely time-consuming, very cost-intensive, and carried the risk of being able to accommodate fewer seats afterward. Based on the recommendation of nora’s technical application department, the decision was made to refurbish the existing covering through intensive cleaning.
Extending service life instead of tearing out
Even after five decades of continuous use, the norament flooring was in remarkably good condition. “The pastille flooring is still astonishingly well-preserved after all these years—there are hardly any signs of wear,” emphasizes construction manager Michaela Schuh from GMH | Gebäudemanagement Hamburg GmbH. Its high resistance and exceptional durability have proven themselves over decades of daily school operations. Accordingly, the result after intensive cleaning was equally convincing. “The floor looks almost like new. It’s hard to believe it is 50 years old,” Schuh adds.
Preserving seating capacity—a decisive advantage
Particularly important for the school: By intensively cleaning the existing floor covering, effort and costs were significantly reduced compared to a new installation—while simultaneously maintaining the full capacity of the auditorium. This practical advantage is of great importance in everyday school life and ultimately convinced GMH | Gebäudemanagement Hamburg as well. Furthermore, additional areas of the building were equipped with nora rubber floor coverings.
