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In July, Dr. Dieter Köster, CEO, and Pay Simonsen, former Technical Consultant, visited our partner in Denmark. In the following, Dr. Köster reports on his impressions.
During our visit to Copenhagen, Anja and Mogens Böhm, KÖSTER partners in Denmark for many years with MB Projekt, took us on a special tour of Copenhagen. It was a sightseeing tour during which we kept bumping into good acquaintances: products from KÖSTER. Anja and Mogens showed us many historical buildings and the special solutions that were implemented with KÖSTER here in the heart of Copenhagen.
The tour began at Gefion Springvandet, the famous fountain at Copenhagen's harbor. Waterproofing with KÖSTER NB Elastic was carried out there during a complete renovation in 2004. The special feature: Joints between the granite blocks were also filled with KÖSTER NB Elastic. Mogens had tested whether the material had sufficient elasticity for this particular case. KÖSTER NB Elastic was then used for technical and visual reasons, although it is not actually a joint material.
Gefion Springvandet
Joints: sealed with KÖSTER NB Elastic
The walk continued to the Amaliehaven, a well-known promenade garden visited by many tourists. The marble-clad retaining walls and flower boxes were waterproofed with Polysil and NB Elastic and the fountain was renovated using KÖSTER NB 2 white and KÖSTER VAP I 2000.
Fountain in the promenade garden between the harbor and the castle waterproofed with KÖSTER
We went straight on to the grounds of Amalienborg Palace, the seat of the Danish royal family. We could see from the flag on the roof that the Queen was at home. The royal family's guard kept watch in front of the palace. The guards can feel comfortable in their rest rooms in the castle, because these rooms in the basement are now dry and have a pleasant climate - thanks to the work of MB Projekt with KÖSTER NB 1, KÖSTER Restoration Plaster and KÖSTER Fine Plaster.
Amalienborg Palace
We walk further along the harbor and see the former magazine building on the small island of Holmen, which we already know from the case study on our website, right next to the new Opera House from 2005 (in which KÖSTER IN 7 was used, for example). The apartments in it, Mogens explains to us, are among the most expensive in Copenhagen. They are located right in the center of the city and yet overlook the water of the harbor basin. You can easily pay more than 2 million euros per apartment there. Why were KÖSTER Crisin 76 and KÖSTER NB 1 used back then? "When you buy an apartment for 2 million euros, you want everything to be right. Mistakes are not accepted," says Mogens.
Opera house and magazine building on the Holmen right next to it
We pass the "Skuespilhuset" playhouse (KÖSTER NB Elastic) and then go to the most expensive and best-known hotel in Denmark: the Hotel d'Angleterre, which was renovated and waterproofed in 2012 with KÖSTER Crisin 76, KÖSTER Polysil TG 500, KÖSTER NB 1 Grey, KÖSTER Restoration Plaster White and KÖSTER KB-Flex 200. "Everyone in Denmark knows this hotel," says Mogens, "which is why it is such a good reference for us”.
Hotel D‘Angleterre
On the way are the former stables of the royal guard. Apartments were built there in a prime location. The rising damp was stopped with KÖSTER Crisin 76.
On the other side of the street is Holmens Kirke, where the rich and famous, including the royal family, are baptized or married. Just this year, waterproofing work was carried out using the KÖSTER basement waterproofing method. This time we didn't even have to consult, says Anja. The client already knew KÖSTER. "They just ordered it and we were delighted."
At the Glyptotek, the art gallery dating back to 1897, the pipe penetrations in the basement were waterproofed with KÖSTER KB-Flex 200. "It wasn't so easy," says Mogens, "to get the material into the narrow gap between the pipes and the wall. But it is Mogens' and Anja's specialty to find answers to such questions.
The city is dominated by the tower of the town hall (Københavns Rådhus). The associated town hall building is so large that Hamburg and Berlin could also be comfortably managed from here, I think to myself. In the years 2003 to 2010, waterproofing work was carried out here using KÖSTER IN 1, KÖSTER IN 7 and KÖSTER FS Joint Sealant.
Københavns Rådhus
We walk on to the main station. Somewhat off the beaten track of the usual applications that can be found in the Technical Data Sheets, Mogens has found a special solution to a special problem here. The paving slabs on the platforms are simply laid in sand. "It's no problem outside," says Mogens, "where the rain washes the sand between the joints of the slabs and compacts it. But that doesn't happen under the canopies. That's where the cleaning machines come in and gradually remove the sand from the joints. As a result, the tiles become loose after a while”. Mogens came up with the idea of using the solidifying properties of KÖSTER Polysil TG 500. The product was slurried into the sand joints with rubber squeegees, thus consolidating the sand between the slabs. This was the easiest way to avoid a costly refurbishment and complete re-laying of the slabs. Anja points to the opposite platform: "Oh, she says, injection work with KÖSTER was also carried out there."
Finally, we come to one of the oldest and most famous amusement parks in the world: Tivoli, which opened in 1843 and is located right in the center of Copenhagen. It is the great-grandfather of all amusement parks. There are parks, rides, restaurants, stages, a concert hall, and much, much more. Typically Scandinavian: everything is lovingly and traditionally designed. Nice, varied and action-packed, but never intrusive and bombastic. A park for the whole family, for Copenhageners as well as many foreign guests. Anja and Mogens show us some of the objects that have been waterproofed with KÖSTER: When the large aquarium ("Akvariet") was already filled with water after its construction and the fish were already feeling comfortable, leaks appeared. However, the aquarium could no longer be emptied. What to do? Mogens and Anja remembered our short video in which KÖSTER Shaft Mortar could even be used under water. The small imperfections could actually be repaired quickly and easily. A little further on is "Det kinesiske tårn", the Chinese tower, at the foot of which a small restaurant has been built. Right next to it is a small artificial pond where children sail on small boats. The basement of the restaurant is literally in the water. For its waterproofing, KÖSTER NB 1 Grey with KÖSTER Polysil TG 500 and KÖSTER SB Bonding Emulsion were used, as well as KÖSTER NB Elastic and KÖSTER VAP I 2000 as a vapor barrier. The Færgekroen restaurant is also located directly on the water and was waterproofed in 2008 with our injection products KÖSTER IN 1 and KÖSTER IN 7.
As the day draws to a close, we are thrilled: by the beautiful city of Copenhagen, by the many special references we have seen, and by the imagination that Anja and Mogens have shown time and again in their advice on special cases.
Anja and Mogens Böhm
