ZÜBLIN and STRABAG present innovations in building construction and transportation infrastructures at BUGA horticultural show

• Ed. Züblin AG and STRABAG AG present innovative building materials and methods: coloured asphalts, luminous coatings, Clean Air (ClAir) asphalt for the reduction of nitrogen dioxide and Germany’s tallest timber high-rise
• ZÜBLIN official BUGA partner

For the first time in its history, the Federal Horticultural Show (BUGA in German) consists not only of a garden exhibition, but also of a city exhibition with urban architecture that is destined to become a new urban quarter called Neckarbogen after the end of the show. Contributions from ZÜBLIN and STRABAG can also be seen as part of this city exhibition.

SKAIO – Germany’s tallest timber high-rise completed
A conspicuous highlight on the 40-hectare BUGA site is SKAIO – with a height of 34 m, Germany’s first timber high-rise – that was recently completed by the official BUGA partner Ed. Züblin AG and its subsidiary ZÜBLIN Timber GmbH. The timber hybrid building, which comprises 60 rental apartments, houses an exhibition on the ground floor entitled “Building & Living with Wood” where visitors can learn more about the innovative construction concept of SKAIO and the sustainable building materials used. In addition to the exhibition, guided tours are held regularly on the premises of the high-rise building, which has been submitted for gold certification from the German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB).

Not far from SKAIO, a 12-metre-high sculpture called “Himmelsstele” (“Sky Stele”), with its unusual shape, provides an impressive demonstration of the potential applications of wood as a building material.

More safety and colour through innovative asphalts
On the STRABAG exhibition areas in front of and in the J7 building, everything revolves around the topics of asphalt and luminous coatings. Various colour asphalts are presented which enable better orientation for road users when applied on roads, bike trails or pedestrian paths and thus reduce the risk of accidents. In addition, these asphalts literally bring more colour into the public space.

The luminous coatings developed by STRABAG also increase road safety. They absorb the energy of sunlight during the day and give it off at night in the form of cold light. This makes it possible to illuminate cycling trails and footpaths cost-effectively and sustainably in the dark.

STRABAG will also be presenting a special asphalt surface called ClAir Asphalt, which can break down nitrogen dioxide and thus reduce the level of air pollution in cities. The high-tech road surface with innovative installation method was developed by the STRABAG competence centre TPA and its partners in the Sustainable High-Tech Asphalt (NaHiTAs) project funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research. STRABAG’s Specialised Construction and Bretzfeld business units and TPA GmbH are involved in the design of the STRABAG exhibition area and the presentation on site.