Raising the river dyke with glass

As long ago as 2003, the 2nd Oldenburgischer Deichverband, a public body responsible for building and maintaining dykes, planned to strengthen the Weser dyke near Brake and raise the flood defences by half a metre. All those involved agreed that the construction would shape the town of Brake for many years to come.

This combination of materials lends the terrace an upmarket appearance - a benefit to both, the townscape and the adjacent café. The terrace is now protected from the wind and the superb view of the river ensures a pleasant atmosphere for the guests. The town and its visitors can continue to see and appreciate how the Weser has shaped the town.

In this situation, the glass wall solution from thyssenkrupp Infrastructure GmbH has definitely proved to be an excellent alternative to the flood defence wall that had been originally envisaged. It solves, in exemplary fashion, the apparently contradictory requirements of protecting the town against flooding on the one hand and impairing the view of the town from the river on the other. It shows that glass is a suitable material for flood defence installations and can offer very interesting design options. And the use of stainless steel for the frames and posts ensured an optimum relationship between the area of glass and the size of the supporting construction. The brushed surface finish to the stainless steel is smart, highly resistant to scratches and requires no further coating. The workforce at the RSW Rosslauer shipyards put their full range of skills to the test in the fabrication and erection of the glass components.

Following extensive analyses and trials, the client was convinced of our expertise and awarded us with the contract. On May 8 2008, right on time for the Whitsun bank holiday weekend, the redesigned riverside area with its glass flood defence wall was handed over to the town. The decision of the client and the authorities to opt for a worthy architectural structure in order to enhance the look of the town has been praised on many occasions by locals and visitors alike.