Damage on the sidelines

New terrace for 1. FC Cologne

Damage on the sidelines

New terrace for 1. FC Cologne

Damage on the sidelines: drainage system protect the terrace of the Geißbockheim (Billy Goat Clubhouse) in Cologne

1. FC Cologne has made it into the Bundesliga – and the renovation work on the clubhouse has been completed just in time for the start of the season. Now the fans can eat in “their” Geißbockheim again and watch the games on the screen. A special highlight is the newly designed terrace, which provides a wonderful view over the professional footballer's training area and the adjacent green belt.

The Geißbockheim is the heart of 1. FC Cologne, and has been for more than 60 years. The clubhouse was named after the mascot of the Bundesliga club. After numerous renovations and extensions, it is now one of the best clubhouses in Germany – including football history. For example, collages of some of the club's greatest players hang on the walls of the restaurant, such as Wolfgang Overath, Toni Schumacher and Pierre Littbarski.

Top class over the long term: Terrace for spectators

During the conversion work, the club also redesigned the Geißbockheim. The expansive area made from 40 x 40 cm slabs of 33 mm thick artificial stone provides plenty of room: for football fans, training observers and also people looking for some peace and quiet. In order to ensure that the new surface stays tip-top over the long term, the people responsible opted for products from drainage specialist Gutjahr. The AquaDrain HU surface drainage provides fast and effective drainage of the covering, and the AquaDrain FLEX drain grates take care of the transitions to the interior. A powerful team that interacts perfectly to sideline damage.

Gutjahr plays at the highest level

At the Geißbockheim, the clients opted for top-class quality from Gutjahr: the AquaDrain HU surface drainage and the AquaDrain FLEX drain grate system.

The best system wins

Damage to outdoor coverings is not uncommon. One reason for this is that even top-quality coverings such as the ones in the Geißbockheim are often simply laid on gravel or chippings. A study by the tBU Greven shows that gravel and chippings are capillary-active. This means that water on the waterproofing level can migrate back upwards via the construction. This results in unsightly moisture stains, frost damage and weed growth in the joints. In order to prevent exactly this, the specialist provider has been developing surface drainage systems that are laid beneath the coverings for more than two decades. AquaDrain HU is used for loose laying of heavy-duty surfaces made from natural and artificial stone on gravel or chippings.

The functional principle: AquaDrain HU supports the entire covering, creating a cavity which can be drained. In this way, seepage water can drain away quickly and effectively. A water-permeable special fleece on top prevents damage. Unlike conventional dimpled membranes, the surface drainage is also perforated on the underside. This prevents seepage water from accumulating on the film. The system also acts as a protective layer and filter layer. In the Geißbockheim, however, another advantage was decisive: AquaDrain HU is highly resilient, so the area can be driven on without any problems.

Comfortable transitions from inside to outside

The transition from the terrace to the interior was also a critical point during the renovation. In accordance with DIN 18195, Part 5, waterproofing must be led upwards 15 centimetres above the top edge of the covering. This is intended to prevent water from running behind the waterproofing and getting into the interior. However, “stumbling blocks” such as this did not fit in with the concept of the Geißbockheim. For this reason, the client relied on a Gutjahr solution here as well: with the AquaDrain FLEX drain grate system, the transitions could be made threshold-free in accordance with the standards.

The drain grates prevent the interior from becoming damp: they trap the water at the transition from the outside to the inside and divert it into the connected high-performance surface drainage. The water drainage capacity must be appropriately high, so that backwater does not accumulate. Independent studies have shown that gravel or chippings alone do not have sufficient drainage capacity – particularly with easy-access transitions. This drainage capacity is also retained permanently, since the drain grates have a dirt trap as standard which prevents the drainage layer from clogging. Because the floor gullies are located directly in front of the doors, they were completely covered with a second drain grate line. As a result, the surface water from the terrace area, which had been designed with a fall towards the building, is quickly absorbed and discharged via the drains.

Conclusion: 1. FC Cologne scored a direct hit with the new terrace. A perfect start – and a secure basis for more than one successful season!