Restoring a historic mansion with a Schlüter-Systems floor heating system

The Neue Villa Cosack building is situated in a prime location in the centre of Arnsberg, adjacent to the Ruhr River. Built by the entrepreneur Joseph Cosack in elaborate Renaissance Revival style around 1883, the striking mansion on Brückenplatz was officially entered into the protected monument list of Arnsberg in 1988.

The impressive building had been in a state of deterioration in the recent past. This was unacceptable to the current owner, Selim Balikcioglu. "As a teenager, I used to pass by the villa regularly and absolutely loved it. When the town's monument protector told me that the structure was for sale, that enthusiasm came right back," he recalls.

The mansion became his passion project, although it quickly became apparent how much work would be required. The exterior impression was confirmed when Balikcioglu entered the house for the first time. The ornate stucco decorations on walls and ceilings had not been treated with care. The same was true of the wooden staircases, door frames and floors – neither the previous owner nor the tenants had appreciated the building's historic character. "The wall decorations had simply been painted or papered over, and the overhead stucco decorations were partly concealed by suspended ceiling structures," Balikcioglu recounts.

He immediately decided that he would fully renovate the building, not only to restore its historic charm, but also to offer modern, contemporary comfort. All viable original structures were to be left in place or reworked as far as possible. Thus, the work included preserving and refurbishing the original doors dating back to the year of construction as well as exposing the original oak flooring, which was supplemented with matching oak planks where necessary. The entire renovation process, begun in 2021, was a considerable effort, not just due to the requirements for listed buildings, but also because of the pandemic.

Nowadays, the completely renovated mansion on Brückenplatz is home to three shops, an event space and four apartments. In addition to a food stall that has been established in the building for 15 years, it also houses a small supermarket and a barber shop. The versatile event space of about 200 square metres between the shops and the apartments offers Arnsberg residents a true highlight. Together with the Arnsberg registry office, the owner is setting up a wedding venue with a special ambience here. The apartments, ranging in size from 50 to 140 square metres, offer a mix of charming old-style design and modern comfort, which is evident in the high-quality bathrooms and efficient, fast-reacting floor heating system.

Classic style with modern heating by Schlüter-Systems

Radiators not only take up unnecessary space but can also look unattractive. These considerations prompted Mr. Balikcioglu to install a floor heating system throughout the mansion. That was no simple endeavour in light of the typical structural restrictions for listed buildings. For example, a weight limit had to be observed for the beam ceilings on the upper floor, and the transitions between the rooms and the different floor coverings proved to be a challenge, not least because of the low assembly height available.

For these reasons, Balikcioglu and Elvedin Husovic, the owner of the Husovic sanitary installations business, chose the thin-layer floor heating system Schlüter-BEKOTEC-THERM. Husovic, who oversaw the installation, describes the benefits of the system in this specific project: "BEKOTEC-THERM gave us the option to install a floor heating system with a low assembly height that is known to function efficiently with various floor coverings."

While conventional floor heating systems have a screed coverage of about 45 mm, BEKOTEC-THERM only requires a substantially lower covering of at least 8 mm above the stud panel. This enables the system to function with comparatively low supply temperatures in the heating pipes and makes much more efficient use of the necessary heating energy. The heat exchange between the heating pipes and the top floor covering takes place directly at the screed surface.

The gentle radiated heat reaches the surface quickly and evenly. The highly responsive system allows for prompt, energy-efficient temperature reduction – as a classic night-time setting, but also during the day. Since the system operates at low supply temperatures, BEKOTEC-THERM is ideally suited for use with renewable energy sources. In the case of the Neue Villa Cosack, this is a hybrid air heat pump which provides energy in combination with a gas-powered boiler.

The thin assembly is economical to operate and also saves significant volumes of water, sand and cement during installation. That helps to reduce the overall system weight compared to a conventional floor heating system, which was an essential criteria for this specific project. "Our choices were to install BEKOTEC-THERM or no floor heating system at all," says Husovic. The load restrictions for ceilings would have made it impossible to select a conventional heated screed.

What's more, the lower material volume also reduces the construction time. If the top covering is made from ceramic tiles or natural stone, installers can save several weeks because the bonded uncoupling component of the system enables nearly seamless construction progress. It can be installed as soon as the screed is ready to bear weight. Tiles can then be laid directly on the DITRA mat. Developers who prefer a combination with oak parquet can also save time with BEKOTEC-THERM as the thin-layer covering is faster to install and reaches the required residual moisture level within a short time.

Despite the varying requirements of different covering types, the installation of the floor heating system worked smoothly, reported Elvedin Husovic: "I have installed this system many times and was confident that it would give us the necessary design flexibility to address the challenges in this structure." Adds Selim Balikcioglu: "BEKOTEC-THERM offers significant added value for all parties – for myself as the landlord and especially for the tenants. It responds quickly and generates cosy warmth, yet is energy efficient. This allowed us to perfectly implement the concept of pairing the historical flair with modern living comfort."

Attractive living in the town centre

To protect tile edges, the stylishly tiled bathrooms were fitted with the high-quality finishing profile Schlüter-QUADECin a stainless steel version with graceful corner pieces. The durable profile's square visible area creates a timeless look and reliably prevents damage to the tile edges from mechanical impact.

By undertaking the complete renovation of Neue Villa Cosack, Mr. Balikcioglu has not only breathed new life into in the historic structure but has also restored a stately landmark in the Arnsberg town centre. Thanks to BEKOTEC-THERM, it became feasible to install an energy-efficient and easily controllable floor heating system, which made a vital contribution to the success of this ambitious passion project.