Le palais de Tettnang restauré avec succés

Commissioned by the state authorities of Baden-Württemberg, the several painstaking years of restoration work on the New Tettnang Palace have resulted in great success. Exuding fresh splendour, the Baroque “chateau” complex was awarded the title of "Palace of the Year” in 2018. MC was also able to contribute to the success of the project with its moisture regulating and salt transport plaster system Exzellent STP.
 

Each year, the Palaces and Gardens Authority of the state of Baden-Württemberg awards a monument with the title “Palace of the Year” where extensive state investments have been made in making such heritage sites more future-viable. And last year, the impressive New Tettnang Palace was an obvious choice. The New Palace, designed as a four-winged complex and built in the late 17th century as the residence of the Counts of Montfort, is one of the most beautiful Baroque chateaux of the Upper Swabia region. Between 2011 and 2018, the state of Baden-Württemberg invested around 9.1 million euros in the complete restoration of the structure. The building with its four corner towers received a finely shaded appearance in light gold ochre – very much reminiscent of the look it must have had in previous

centuries.

 

Integrated moisture regulation and salt transport system

For the repair of the base areas, which consisted of mixed masonry exposed to constant moisture and salt ingress over the years, with extensive damage ensuing, the client opted for Exzellent STP, MC's moisture regulating render system. This has already been widely and successfully used over many years in the repair of heritage structures and old masonry contaminated with moisture and salt. It was applied in three construction phases between 2014 and 2017 to both the outer walls and the inner courtyard. After the removal of the old render, Exzellent STP 540 was initially applied as a pre-spray primer. A grey trowelling render, this product is a good adhesion promoter on smooth surfaces.

In the next step, Exzellent STP 540 was again used, this time as a levelling coat. Finally, Exzellent STP 700 was applied by spraying, perfectly matching the “new, old” appearance of the palace with its pale yellow colour. A total of around 350 linear metres of plinth was repaired. The render system is unsusceptible to mildew attack as well as being resistant to weathering, flooding and splash/spray water. Exzellent STP can be used on salty and damp masonry up to a moisture penetration level of 95%.The special macro-pore geometry, combined with the high lime content of the non-hydrophobic render and the greatly shortened diffusion path that results, enables a significantly faster release of moisture into the environment compared to conventional restoration renders and plasters. This ensures permanent moisture regulation and sustained transport to the surface, where the dissolved salt crystallises without damaging the façade.

 

Preserved cultural heritage

At the opening ceremony, Gisela Splett, Baden-Wurttemberg's Secretary of State for Finance, was visibly delighted: “Finally we see Tettnang Palace returned to its baroque splendour! Through the successful collaboration of the many specialists involved, we have succeeded in not just preserving our cultural heritage but also in bringing it right back to life."