Klemmhof
The Klemmhof is part of the city center of the Palatinate city of Neustadt an der Weinstrasse ( Rhineland-Palatinate ). It made national headlines twice: in the mid-1970s because of the unconventional type of renovation , in 2009 because of the evacuation of all residents for several weeks after construction defects had led to a risk of collapse, and because of the temporary disaster tourism .
geography
The Klemmhof, which is criss-crossed by several narrow streets and alleys, the westernmost of which is also called the Klemmhof , is located as part of the old town southeast of its center, which is formed by the collegiate church and the market square .
Building history
| 1974-1976 | Demolition and rebuilding |
| 1983 | Installation of a pumping system |
| 2001 | Civil actions for repossession of apartments |
| 2002 | Expert opinion: subsoil is soggy |
| 2003 | Civil lawsuits end with the withdrawal of more than ten apartments |
| Sept 2009 | Investigations: Risk of collapse |
| 17th Sept. 2009 | City administration: Order of total evacuation |
| Sept. 19, 2009 | Completion of the total evacuation |
| Nov 11, 2009 | City Council: permission of re-cover |
| Dec 1, 2009 | City council: buy-back or redevelopment subsidy |
| April 2010 | Order to architects: plan variants for permanent sealing of the foundations |
| 17th September 2010 | Interim balance: high losses and vacancies |
| Mid 2013 | Planned start of renovation for the purpose of permanent security of the terminal yard |
On the initiative of the then Lord Mayor Wolfgang Brix , the historic settlement area on the Speyerbach , where the moated castle of the Count Palatinate near Rhine had also stood from the early 13th century, was renovated between 1974 and 1976. This was not done by restoring the old buildings, which essentially consisted of small to medium - sized half - timbered houses with no basements , but by demolishing them and then rebuilding them with concrete facades, which were given a historicizing appearance.
The new buildings, up to four storeys high, came to rest over a three-story underground car park , which later became the Klemmhof multi -storey car park . At the request of the mayor, in order to save costs, this was poured into the alluvial sand of the Speyerbach without a “ white tub ”, ie without sealing against groundwater ; the floor slab is more than ten meters below the surface of the earth. 89 residential units on the upper floors were sold as owner-occupied apartments ; shops and service providers were located on the ground floor along the outer fronts and in a passage .
Elwetritschenbrunnen in front of the east facade of the Klemmhof
Caretaker's office
Sparkasse branch
Wall painting by Werner Holz on the edge of the Klemmhof
The "Klemmhof Case"
Water damage
After a pumping system had to pump penetrating groundwater out of the underground car park since 1983 at the latest , the criticism of those responsible extended beyond the cultural aspects to include construction defects; but nothing special happened for more than 30 years.
Then, in September 2009, subsidence and older subsidence of the foundations as well as complete soaking of the subsoil became known. These test results were already recorded in a report from 2002, which was kept secret by the property management at the time. During the examinations in 2009, experts found that the pumps had sucked in the finest soil constituents for years and had now completely separated the subsoil; It was concluded from this that earthquake-like vibrations would be possible in the future .
evacuation
On September 17, 2009, the city administration under Lord Mayor Hans Georg Löffler ordered the entire complex to be closed and all 130 residents to be evacuated. They stayed with relatives, in hotels or in emergency shelters in the city. All facilities open to the public, including a savings bank branch and the city library including the city archive, were closed.
Initially, the eviction was valid for two to six weeks from September 19. During this time, 40 specialists were supposed to stabilize the subsoil with around 90 larger concrete injections around the clock in two twelve-hour shifts. On September 28, however, the foundations began to settle, although they were in the millimeter range, but could endanger the underground workers. After a three-hour construction stop between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m., work was resumed, but the following day it was permanently suspended in this form; because the soaking of the subsoil was deeper than assumed, so that pumping in concrete had no effect. It was said that wells would have to be drilled for effective drainage.
Around the time of the change of month between September and October 2009, it was reported that investigations and reports that would take several months should decide the future fate of the Klemmhof: renovation or demolition. If anything, the evacuated residents could not expect to return to their homes before spring 2010. In the meantime, entering the building is only permitted for a short time in emergencies and accompanied by fire fighters, and moving out with furniture is currently completely excluded.
Recovery and stabilization
On November 11, 2009, Lord Mayor Löffler surprisingly announced that the testing of an alternative technical process had been successful; With so-called "elephant feet" made of concrete, the five mainly undermined foundations could be stabilized in 2010. In contrast to the first method tested, the concrete is pressed specifically under the foundations using an Ischebeck drill anchor , so that a truncated cone that is wider at the bottom can arise when it hardens , the “elephant's foot”. Investigations of all 90 foundations had also shown that the originally feared settlement risk of the entire building complex did not exist, so that the evacuated apartments and shops could be moved into again immediately and permanently.
Costs and legal consequences
Opinions differed greatly on the question of who should bear the renovation costs. It was speculated that liability for construction defects in particular could have occurred after more than 30 years of limitation . The ARD television informed about it from the SWR -Studio Ludwigshafen under the title Neustadt: Klemmhof - Who pays the renovation costs in the end? on September 22, 2009. Because a complete demolition of the building complex was later brought into the discussion, the video of the broadcast was taken off the network. At the beginning of October 2009 it was announced that for the time being, every apartment owner would contribute around 1000 euros a month to the costs of the renovation - including those that failed in September 2009.
After Klemmhof apartment buyers had already sued for conversion between 2001 and 2003 because of the shortcomings that were concealed from them when the contract was signed , the housing association (WBG) had taken back more than ten apartments before court rulings were issued. In 2009 at least twelve other owners called for the cancellation of their sales contracts; the parking garage buyer also considered this. But the company said it wanted to finish the process this time.
In November 2009, the city council announced that the city of Neustadt and the state of Rhineland-Palatinate were examining models to help "small investors" - meaning the owners of individual apartments - financially.
On December 1, 2009, the city council decided to make the homeowners a buyback offer at the price of the 1970s; To this end, a deficiency guarantee from the State of Rhineland-Palatinate is sought for the WBG . Alternatively, owners who wish to stay could apply for a one-off subsidy of 500 euros towards the renovation costs.
One year after the temporary evacuation, the WBG's losses through buybacks and renovation grants amounted to around 7 million euros. In addition, most of the commercial and retail space on the ground floor, which was only sparsely used before the crisis, was vacant, so that lease income also fell sharply.
The further way
In April 2010, the owners 'association commissioned a Karlsruhe architects' office to develop planning proposals for a permanent solution to the structural problems of the Klemmhof, especially with regard to the sealing of the 3rd basement against groundwater and the permanent protection of the foundations. After completing the preliminary planning of six possible variants, the office was commissioned to solve the problems using the horizontal drainage system it had proposed. A qualified substructure is set up under a new floor slab, in which drainage lines are located; The groundwater is to be carried away via this. After the implementation planning, the creation of the specifications and the detailed planning, the construction of the new drainage and the renovation of the 3rd basement floor should begin in mid-2013. It was expected that the parking areas there could be available again around 20 months later.
Web links
- Klemmhof. (No longer available online.) Rhein-Neckar-Fernsehen , formerly in the original ; Retrieved on September 17, 2010 (overview of the reporting, accompanying video meanwhile inactivated). ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )
- Neustadt an der Weinstrasse: Klemmhof. In: Cityalbum. Retrieved September 17, 2010 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Klemmhof cleared for months . In: The Rhine Palatinate . Complete edition. Ludwigshafen September 30, 2009.
- ↑ a b c d e f Moved out . In: The Rheinpfalz on Sunday . Complete edition. Ludwigshafen October 4th 2009.
- ↑ Then : Who decided? In: The Rheinpfalz on Sunday . Complete edition. Ludwigshafen October 4th 2009.
- ↑ a b Chronicle: Events come thick and fast . In: The Rhine Palatinate . Complete edition. Ludwigshafen September 30, 2009.
- ↑ a b c Südwestrundfunk : Klemmhof will have to stay cleared longer. September 26, 2009. Retrieved September 30, 2009 .
- ↑ "Elephant Feet" save the Klemmhof . In: The Rhine Palatinate . Complete edition. Ludwigshafen November 12, 2009.
- ↑ Tomorrow: Who will pay then? In: The Rheinpfalz on Sunday . Complete edition. Ludwigshafen October 4th 2009.
- ^ Council argues over finances . In: The Rhine Palatinate . Local edition Mittelhaardter Rundschau. Ludwigshafen November 4th 2009.
- ↑ Klemmhof: Council decides to buy through housing subsidiary . In: The Rhine Palatinate . Complete edition. Ludwigshafen December 2, 2009.
- ↑ Noticeable tremors . In: The Rhine Palatinate . Complete edition. Ludwigshafen September 17, 2010 (report).
- ↑ Block on the leg . In: The Rhine Palatinate . Complete edition. Ludwigshafen September 17, 2010 (comment).