With the motto "Success needs a solid ground" we, the UZIN UTZ Group, have been strongly connected with the national basketball league team ratiopharm Ulm as a sponsoring partner since 2014 and were involved as an anchor partner in the impressive construction project "Orange Campus".  We want to express our closeness and solidarity to the region and so this project of our partner was especially important for us. Basketball is all about dynamism, emotion and motivation, and always giving your best. These are values that fit perfectly with our company and live up to our claim of offering our customers the best expertise in safe flooring constructions.

On the 18,000 m² site of the former Donaubad, the Ulm basketball club BBU'01, together with the Ulm architects Scheer+Klimke AG, realised one of the largest training and performance centres for basketball in the whole of Europe. Amateurs, junior players and the professionals of the Bundesliga team ratiopharm ulm have been training in the new premises since the opening on September 18, 2020. At the same time, the Orange Campus was built as a meeting place for citizens from the region, combining many flexible uses. With around 12,500 m² of usable space, it offers three training halls, foyer with fan shop, indoor and outdoor gastronomy, a fitness centre including sauna and wellness areas on three floors, as well as six floors of offices, meeting and conference rooms. In a freely accessible outdoor sports park, there are open spaces for basketball, fitness and yoga. Consequently, the floor coverings and matching installation systems were individually selected for the different requirements. Whether jointless PU-coating, tiles, textile and design coverings on 5,000 m² of fast-drying levelling compound and moisture-resistant screed - the large construction site had to function quickly and reliably.

Suitable products, a great deal of know-how and good coordination between planners, specialist advisers and craftsmen enabled the work to be completed on schedule. With our brands Uzin, Codex, Arturo and the manufacturer for LVT design floor coverings Project Floors, we were there right from the start with our highest flooring expertise, supported by the professional work of the regional specialist flooring companies. In the coming sections we want to give insights on that successful team work.

"We are proud to have been able to support the Orange Campus project with this passion for good flooring and would like to thank our partners for their trust and successful cooperation", Philipp Utz, Board Member at the UZIN UTZ Group.

The heart of the campus is formed by three sports halls, 95 % of which are available for junior and popular sports. The largest has space for 500 spectators, and two have a direct connection to the fitness center, which extends over three floors. The six-storey tower houses offices with meeting and conference rooms. LVT floorings in a trendy dark pine look from the floors@work collection from our partner in the flooring industry Project Floors were used here, as well as needlefelt and high-pile carpeting. The know-how in terms of installation systems was provided by the Uzin brand.

Dining and training with a view of the Danube

The preservation of a large part of the existing vegetation makes the Orange Campus a "Green Campus". Landscape references on three levels and floor-to-ceiling glazing connect inside and outside. This allows athletes and visitors to enjoy the view of the park and river while dining and exercising.

With an athletic lab, sauna and wellness area, the fitness centre with its approximately 1,100 m² offers professionals and guests a variety of training and relaxation options. The ideal floor for the fitness area with the changing rooms is provided by the durable and attractive vinyl design flooring from Project Floors, laid with non-water-soluble 1-component hybrid adhesive UZIN KE 68. The easy-care planks impress with excellent usage properties and an authentic wood design in light oak - similar to the wooden floor on the basketball court, which, however, was bonded with a wet-bed dispersion adhesive UZIN KE66 suitable for these requirements.  In the executive offices, the high-contrast design in a noble dark pine look lends a modern, distinctive appearance that is also robust, easy to clean, suitable for allergy sufferers and gentle on the joints and warm underfoot. "We were involved in the discussions right from the start and were able to choose from Uzin's entire product range," explains Thomas Rang from "Parkett- und Fußbodentechnik Rang", whose team carried out the complete subfloor preparation and professional installation of the flooring. "We know that the installation materials are reliable and fast - on both small and large surfaces."

Deadline construction site in Corona times: Uzin and Project Floors a strong team

Large areas, many floors, tight schedules, several trades: time was tight, because the floor work was delayed due to the difficult construction site situation after the lockdown, but the move-in date was fixed. Therefore, the surfaces had to be ready for foot traffic quickly and had to dry reliably. So work was carried out in sections of 1,000 m². After sanding and priming the screed, the levelling compound was mixed and pumped into the respective areas via the scaffolding and window openings. It had to be done quickly so that the levelling compound did not set. The low-stress and therefore extremely flowable UZIN NC 160 cement levelling compound facilitated rapid application over large areas. "A level subfloor is particularly important for the installation of resilient design flooring," confirms Sven Noffke, Key Account Manager at Project Floors. "The look of the floor is only as good as the subfloor." After one day, the trowel was ready to be walked on and after two days, vinyl planks had been laid on around 400m².

Running track, LVT or carpet - it all depends on professional installation

Another special feature was the 240-metre-long indoor running track, which runs as a gallery around the large hall. For the shear-resistant installation of the rubber sports floor, the flooring installation team experimented and chose a system structure with parquet adhesive. The precast concrete parts were first primed, then the concrete joints were bonded with a hard universal adhesive of Uzin and finally the entire surface was filled. Two layers of the sports flooring were then bonded and the floor was finally sealed with the transparent RZ Turbo Protect Zero varnish, also a brand from UZIN UTZ.

In addition, Uzin provided support with its extremely shear-resistant textile adhesive for the installation of over 1,000 m2 of needlefelt and high-pile carpeting in the conference rooms. Its fast setting capacity and high early and final strength were of benefit on the deadline construction site

"We worked with a wide variety of products - following a detailed floor plan for the entire usable area - and completed the floor work on time," explains Thomas Rang. "It's only because I know that UZIN UTZ products work we were able to safely complete on time at the campus." This also applies to the levelling compound, which the team pumped onto the site and worked into a level substrate over 5,000 m².

_{Images (f.l.t.r.) 1-6 UZIN UTZ Group/Project Floors, 7-8, 11 UZIN UTZ Group, 9-10 Roland Halbe, 12 BBU'01}

The implementation could start after the club, the state sports federation, investors and the cities of Ulm and Neu-Ulm had agreed on requirements, dimensions, financing and location. In a construction period of only 20 months, the property of the Ulm basketball club BBU'01 was built directly on the banks of the Danube, comprising three training halls, foyer with fan shop, indoor and outdoor gastronomy, a fitness centre including sauna and wellness area on three floors as well as six floors with offices, meeting and conference rooms. In a freely accessible outdoor sports park, there are open spaces for basketball, fitness and yoga offers.

1,800 m² unique and design floor in BBU orange with club motto 'WE ARE ONE'.

Another highlight is the restaurant with floor-to-ceiling windows and a view of the Danube. From here, the striking anthracite-coloured Arturo design floor 'Dark Move' in a two-tone concrete look extends across all circulation areas - including corridors and stair landings - to the restaurant and shop. The aim was to design large areas continuously and without joints - in an attractive look and with the best functional properties. Arturo resin floors achieve this, as they are crack-bridging, insensitive in daily use and offer a high level of walking comfort. First, the lighter shade was applied to the surface and smoothed with the squeegee. Then the team applied the dark colour by hand. The result is a dynamic, slightly cloudy surface structure with a so-called flame effect, which makes the surfaces truly unique. "We tested on site, and it was precisely this colour combination in this design that convinced us," says the architect.

A silk matt sealant complements the design resin floors as a final protective layer. It provides the necessary slip resistance and ensures that the surfaces throughout the campus are hygienic and retain their beautiful appearance for a long time. This makes the floors easy to clean, impervious to liquids and hard-wearing. They also reduce impact noise and are UV-stable - important properties in high-traffic areas and in the restaurant with its large glass fronts. Arturo PU coatings are also low-emission and certified with the AgBB seal. "This is good in rooms where people regularly spend time," emphasises Jens Zubke, Arturo Sales Manager.

The eye-catcher in the foyer is the Arturo resin floors in the club colour orange. In front of the athletes' entrance, it marks the almost 24 m² sponsor wall 'Wall of Fan', on which 699 donors have immortalised themselves by name in the impressive lettering 'WE ARE ONE'.

A total of 3.6 tons of primer, 5.4 tons of f and 400kg of Arturo brand sealant were applied to the surfaces of the Orange Campus.

_{Images (f.l.t.r.) 1-4 UZIN UTZ Group, 5 BBU'01, 6-8 Roland Halbe}

Our laying systems from Codex were used on a total of 2,800 m² of floor and wall area - in the area of the row shower facilities, the wellness area and the commercially used kitchen. The work covered the entire spectrum of tiling from screeding, priming, waterproofing, laying and grouting. The particular challenges of the site were the poor climatic conditions, as the heating system in the building was not yet in operation and the building envelope was unsealed. In addition, there was a time-critical schedule. Added to this were the highest demands on functionality and design of the floor and coverings. Codex had the expertise to supply suitable rapid products and advise the architect on waterproofing issues and the choice of suitable products for the prevailing conditions and requirements. A great deal of know-how and good coordination between planners, tradesmen and specialist consultants from Codex supported the perfect and punctual execution. "The wide product range from Codex provides the right certified products for all requirements", confirms Daniel Schneider from Rösch Fliesen.

Wellness and shower area with professional sealing, screed laying and thin-bed mortar

In the wellness area and the adjoining changing rooms, as well as in the commercial kitchen, a deformation-free, moisture-resistant screed was necessary due to the high load and use later. A rapid cement from the sister brand Uzin was recommended by Codex and was finally laid. This is ideally suited for the production of extremely dimensionally stable, practically shrinkage-free screeds - without cracks, cupping or edge subsidence. Above all, however, it guarantees drying to the exact day and gives craftsmen and architects absolute planning reliability - important for tightly scheduled construction sites.

The professional waterproofing of the floor and wall surfaces to be laid had to work quickly and reliably. Due to the need for the construction work to progress as quickly as possible and the high level of safety promised, the decision was made to use the waterproof, crack-bridging waterproofing and decoupling membrane codex Hydrostop. The material is very low in emissions, suitable for healthy construction and is used for reliable waterproofing of moisture-stressed substrates in shower installations in residential, commercial and industrial areas. The codex Hydrostop waterproofing membrane was bonded to the substrate using a fast, flexible thin-bed and pourable mortar from Codex. It enabled work to continue on the waterproofing of connections to drains, gutters and joints after just two and a half hours. The large-format tiles, and so the majority of the surfaces, were laid using the fast-setting, highly flexible thin-bed and flow-bed mortar with crystalline water-binding properties, codex RX 8. All products were optimally matched to each other in their application and enabled rapid construction progress.

Commercial kitchen

"Short distances" is also the motto for the catering area. Here, athletes and visitors can enjoy healthy food and a sense of community with a view of the park and river. Careful sealing is a basic prerequisite for the structural requirements of modern commercial kitchens. Here, the installation materials must be waterproof and grease-resistant and withstand both high mechanical and chemical loads caused by cleaning agents. In addition, building protection and hygiene regulations play a major role. Due to the use of the kitchen, the Orange Campus is not a highly contaminated area, contrary to the standard. In consultation with the planner and the client, the waterproofing was carried out as a special construction with codex Hydrostop and a cementitious bonding and jointing system. The Codex products used, as well as the sealing tapes and other accessories, are designed for this application and meet all requirements.

After the low-shrinkage and dimensionally stable rapid screed UZIN SC 980 had been laid, the Codex primer could be used after just twelve hours thanks to its rapid and reliable drying. "Reliable readiness for covering is very important on tightly scheduled construction sites," says Michael Säle from the Uzin sales team. "The screed must dry regardless of the building climate conditions." Waterproofing was carried out on walls and floors, as previously in the spa and shower area, using the waterproofing, decoupling membrane and the appropriate mouldings calles codex Hydrostop , before finally laying the wall tiles and non-slip floor tiles. Finally, the decision was made to use the heavy-duty cementitious grout codex Resist, whose high resistance was decisive for the chemical and mechanical stress on the joints in a commercial kitchen.

_{Images (f.l.t.r.): 1-10 UZIN UTZ Group, 11-12 Roland Halbe}

For 20 years, the flooring manufacturer PROJECT FLOORS and the UZIN UTZ Group have remained to a business relationship. Recently, both companies were involved in the regional construction project "OrangeCampus", and designed some areas.

Our two companies have always maintained a valuable and future-oriented exchange of ideas. Within our corporate strategy PASSION 2025, we have set ourselves the task in particular within the thrust of PRODUCTS & SERVICES to analyse and understand the individual needs of our customers and industry partners and ultimately to respond to them with suitable products and solutions.

In his interview with us, Managing Director Zoran Stopar gave insights on the company, the values lived there and the future-oriented products and services.

Thank you very much, Mr. Stopar, for your interesting answers! We are looking forward to many joint projects. 

Dear Zoran Stopar,

1. PROJECT FLOORS is a leading manufacturer of LVT design flooring and enjoys a first-class reputation in the market. In the company's history of over 20 years, which milestones were decisive for this successful development?

Ever since its foundation by Markus Dünkelmann in 1999, PROJECT FLOORS has always been a specialist in LVT design flooring. The consistent expansion of our range from the first "Edition 1" collection to today's range with wear layers of 0.2-0.8 mm and various installation systems has given us a good reputation in the market that we are the best choice when it comes to this type of flooring. Because with all extensions we have remained specialised and focus on this in every respect. The customer respects this, because reliability and professional competence are often worth more than the last cent of the offer. Also our reliable ability to deliver due to large storage capacities has always been and is especially now in the crisis an advantage that many customers appreciate.

2. What values does PROJECT FLOORS stand for and live by?

In addition to the high quality standards of our product, PROJECT FLOORS stands for partnership and service. Honesty and reliability are the pillars on which we build our business relationships. This results in long-term partnerships that mean added value for both sides. Many of our partnerships have existed since the company was founded more than 20 years ago and relate not only to our customers but also to areas such as logistics and services. For us, the idea of service not only includes transparent advice regarding our product, but also accompanying our partners and customers from the conception to the completion of an object.

3. Since when has PROJECT FLOORS  been working with UZIN UTZ and what makes this collaboration special?

UZIN UTZ is definitely one of the long-standing partnerships mentioned above. Our cooperation has now existed for 20 years - as long as PROJECT FLOORS has existed. We recommend UZIN UTZ products because they are of high quality and work perfectly with our floor coverings. We appreciate the high level of development of UZIN UTZ products and the manifold mutual support. Both companies maintain a valuable and future-oriented exchange and we are glad to have UZIN UTZ as a strong partner at our side.

4. Our corporate strategy until 2025 is PASSION. What does passion mean for PROJECT FLOORS - in terms of employees, customers and business partners?

We also had passion as our motto (passion for floors) in our anniversary year 2019. On the one hand, this includes our commitment to our product. We are convinced of designer flooring and the almost endless possibilities it brings. We have not specialized without reason and offer only LVT in our range. On the other hand, passion naturally stands for (positive) emotions. We do what we do with joy and identify ourselves as people with both the company PROJECT FLOORS and the product we sell. This enthusiasm among our employees is the basis for both authentic marketing and successful sales.

5. PROJECT FLOORS sees itself as a future-oriented supplier of LVT design flooring. What factors contribute to this? What role does the topic of sustainability play in this?

We are constantly on the move. We review what we do and improve it if necessary. We do not blindly follow every trend, but we have often been trendsetters. For example: When all our competitors brought ever larger planks onto the market, thus fuelling the XXL trend, we countered this with our herringbone planks. These small planks enable, for example, herringbone laying, which was experiencing a renaissance at the time. Today, most suppliers have small planks for design installations in their range. In 2013, we were also one of the first manufacturers who completely dispense with plasticizers containing phthalates, which is now common practice.

Climate protection is a matter of concern to us. We regularly determine the values for CO² emissions from shipping, road and rail transport and compensate for these by supporting projects of the non-profit organization PRIMAKLIMA (most recently reforestation programs of rainforest in the Amazon basin).

From our point of view, sustainability naturally includes keeping nature in mind, but also offering a high-quality product that delivers what it promises. We counter the throwaway society with design flooring that will be beautiful for many, many years if it is installed professionally and cared for properly. Consequently, we offer a guarantee of up to 20 years.

6. In addition to quality products, PROJECT FLOORS places great emphasis on "services" - one example is your various digital platforms such as the "Magazin" or, most recently, bodengutgemacht.de. What facets does the service concept have for you and what significance does digitalisation have here?

As already mentioned above, we see ourselves as a partner to our customers. This means that, beyond sales, we think about how we can support our partners. Through our various channels - including our blog and the bodengutgemacht.de platform, as well as our social media channels - we offer information and the opportunity to make contact and exchange ideas. The increasing digitalization does not stop at us. On the contrary, we are here especially of course by the current situation in the pandemic constantly to develop new - digital - ways of presenting goods and contact with our customers. But everything has its limits. Our product lives from the personal inspection. Its authentic look and, above all, feel can hardly be conveyed digitally. That's why personal consultation will always remain our preferred method. Not least because business also benefits from the humanity and sympathy of the counterpart. In the end, people make the business.

7. You just mentioned your platform bodengutgemacht.de which was launched in December 2020. Tell us about it - how did this idea come about and who are you addressing with it?

The platform bodengutgemacht.de actually implements exactly what we think is important. Here, specialist publishers and end customers are brought together. We already offered this service before the launch of the platform by making recommendations over the phone. To use the increasing digitalization and to offer here a simple solution, how supplier and customer can come together uncomplicatedly, was actually only a logical consequence. For the long-standing PROJECT FLOORS installation partners, bodengutgemacht.de is a useful platform for being found in the digital world even without their own extensive Internet presence. The loyal partnerships, which we have maintained for years, are reason for us to support the installers with an additional and free service and to bring the business from the Internet back into the local trade. Via a simple search by entering the postal code, the interested end customer will be given the names of three specialist companies in his vicinity. All participating partners have their own showroom where our floor coverings can be experienced visually and haptically.

8. In your opinion, what added value does UZIN UTZ Group offer the market in the area of digitalization?

UZIN UTZ has been actively and successfully pursuing the digitalization process for many years and reacts early to developments in the market and the needs of customers. With the digitalization strategy, the company wants to remain fit for the future and, in doing so, take the employees along with them in order to make their work easier in the end. In this way, the group sets a good example and offers other companies - including smaller companies like PROJECT FLOORS - guidance. After all, all companies must continue to develop and remain lifelong learning systems. UZIN UTZ is also well positioned in the social media sector with its multi-brand strategy and we are very pleased that with the joint Orange Campus project we have an opportunity to expand our cooperation on these channels as well.

9. What do you see as the strengths and advantages of UZIN UTZ as a full-range supplier of flooring systems?

The strengths of UZIN UTZ are primarily based on the competence, reliability and innovative strength in the entire system structure. From the subfloor to the covering surface, the right solutions can be found. UZIN UTZ always succeeds in developing perfectly coordinated products, whereby the result is far more than the sum of all parts. The fact that we also offer creative and sometimes initially unconventional solutions is also very much in line with our own thinking and actions. The professional and sympathetic exchange that takes place

10. The Orange Campus was recently a joint construction project between PROJECT FLOORS and the UZIN UTZ Group. What makes this combination work on the construction site?

Our products are optimally coordinated in their development and enable a durable and high-quality flooring solution. Adhesives and levelling compounds from Uzin thus form the perfect basis for our design floor coverings. In this way, the products from our two companies were able to make a suitable and high-quality contribution to the impressive interior design of the premises at the Orange Campus.

_{Images (f.l.t.r.): 1-2 UZIN UTZ Group/Project Floors, 3-4, 6, 8Project Floors/Krischer Fotografie, 5,7 Roland Halbe}