What makes belgrano® natural stone so special?

As an extremely resistant and durable building material, natural stone is characterized by its versatility and timeless aesthetics. It retains its appearance for a long time and develops a patina that gives the natural stone a unique, characteristic look. As hard stones such as granite or basalt have a lifespan of well over a century, natural stone is one of the most durable and therefore most sustainable building materials. In comparison, the average lifespan of asphalt surfaces is 15 years, while that of concrete is estimated at around 30 years. Thanks to its durability, natural stone can be restored to almost its original condition even after decades if cleaned and maintained properly – a unique advantage over other building materials.

The Berlin-based natural stone supplier BESCO has been supplying public construction projects in Germany, Europe and worldwide with belgrano® natural stone for more than 20 years. In addition to individual project realization, the company focuses on high quality standards. After all, neither a central market square nor a shopping street should have to be renewed or redesigned every few years.

The Porschestraße in Wolfsburg

The redesign of Wolfsburg’s Porschestraße, designed by Berlin planners ST raum a., was completed in 2009. It was originally designed as an extensive road for traffic and commerce and served as a link between the railroad station and the southern part of the city. In the 1970s, the street was converted into a pedestrian zone and decorated with numerous rows of stores and shopping facilities. The aim of the redesign by ST raum a. was to combine the originally planned spaciousness and openness with the shopping facilities.

For the remodeling, BESCO supplied slabs, shims, trough slabs and trough stones made of belgrano® granite for an area of 3.65 hectares. The newly created urban parquet now divides the street into different areas according to functionality. While the central strip invites you to stroll under the plane trees, you can rest and pause on the benches between the trees. A water feature visually enhances the surroundings and creates a calming atmosphere. In addition, the evaporation of the water creates a cooling effect on hot days.

2009 vs. 2022: As eye-catching today as it was then: The belgrano® granite city parquet invites young and old to stroll and linger in Wolfsburg’s city center.

The marketplace in Schönebeck an der Elbe

With the aim of transforming the center of the medieval town of Schönebeck an der Elbe back into a “cosy parlor”, the town announced an open space planning competition in 2008. The redesign by the planning office TGP Architekten enhanced the entire old town: the creation of areas for outdoor catering, seating for people to linger and the use of the market as a square make the town center more attractive and give it a new shine.

A bright, yellow paved surface made of belgrano® granite in various formats revives the medieval flair of the town and creates a link between the three most important historical places and buildings in the town center. BESCO supplied paving slabs, paving, cobblestones and guidance systems for the blind for the redesign of the market square. The project was completed in 2016.

2017 vs. 2022: The yellow paving made of belgrano® granite visually connects the historic buildings and revives the city’s medieval flair.

The State Archive in Magdeburg

The extraordinary, three-dimensional, windowless façade makes the new magazine building of the Saxony-Anhalt State Archive in Magdeburg a real eye-catcher. The façade is made of square belgrano® basalt slabs, all of which measure exactly 91.7 x 91.7 cm. The different shades of gray of the slabs were created by different surface treatments, different slab thicknesses provide the three-dimensional look.

Due to its role as a storage facility for important documents with special requirements, the building was designed entirely without windows. The overall view is similar to an arrangement of data fragments and hints at the contents of the building. The State Main Archive was completed in 2011 and received the Magdeburg Architects’ and Engineers’ Award 2011 as “Building of the Year 2010” in the category Renovation-New Use.

2011 vs. 2022: The impressive new magazine building made of square belgrano® basalt slabs emphasizes its function as a storage facility for important documents. There is almost no visual difference between the years.

The main square in Landsberg am Lech

Planned by lohrer.hochrein landschaftsarchitekten und stadtplaner, the main square in Landsberg am Lech underwent a comprehensive redesign. The main road was moved to the eastern side of the fountain. This enabled a generous extension of the pedestrian zone and an attractive redesign of the square. For the implementation, BESCO supplied block steps, floor slabs, paving and kerbstones made of belgrano® basanite and granodiorite, which contribute to the aesthetic and functional design. The renovation of the main square in Landsberg am Lech was completed in summer 2013.

2015 vs. 2021: The belgrano® natural stone placed on the main square in Landsberg am Lech offers the town a usable area for market events.

The four projects shown have one thing in common: the belgrano® natural stone installed has not changed in terms of its aesthetics in recent years, despite various weather influences. In addition, the building material is just as robust and hard-wearing as it was when it was first installed. We are convinced that future pictures will also match these images.

Here you will find the first part of the series, in which the marketplace in Halle, the Airport Plaza at Hamburg Airport and the suburb in Ebingen were examined more closely.