Exposed concrete restoration of the Bleckede border watchtower

Border control tower

Exposed concrete restoration

BLECKEDE BORDER WATCHTOWER

Object: Bleckede border watchtower
The Bleckede border watchtower is a historical sign of remembrance of the division of Germany
Location: Bleckede, Lüneburg district, Lower Saxony
Client: Municipalities of Bleckede and Neuhaus, Lüneburg district

Our task
The restoration of a listed former border tower near Bleckede on the Elbe posed a particular challenge. The border tower, built from prefabricated concrete parts, steel brackets and in-situ concrete casting, showed significant cracks, especially on the weather side, as well as cracked and partially triggered joint areas at the prefabricated joints. The reinforcing bars of the precast concrete elements were partly close to the surface due to production and partly corroded.

Our tasks included the restoration of the listed exposed concrete structure and the addition of the missing areas on the exposed concrete surface. Finally, we carried out concrete cosmetics and mineral color retouching to return the structure to its original condition.

Exposed concrete restoration of the listed border watchtower under extreme weather conditions

Challenge
The exposed concrete restoration of the listed Bleckede border watchtower on the Elbe had to be carried out under low temperatures and harsh weather conditions. As a protective measure, the entire structure was packed with insulation material and heated using heaters. The temperature of the structure and the surrounding area was continuously monitored and documented during the restoration and exposed concrete renovation of the property.

This included repairing damaged concrete areas, including carefully exposing and removing rust from the steel, applying corrosion protection and rebuilding the removed areas, matching the original surface finish and color.

Restoration of the surfaces with maximum possible preservation of the original substance.

The restoration and repair of listed exposed concrete structures requires the interaction between the preservation of the historical substance, the preservation of the architectural and artistic statements of the building and compliance with the structural aspects, guidelines and specifications of monument protection.

Our goal when restoring exposed concrete buildings with listed buildings is to keep the interference with the original building fabric as low as possible and to use materials for repairs that correspond to the existing condition both technically and aesthetically.

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Border control tower