In Dresden, the construction company Lattermann was commissioned to install new ceilings instead of so-called “Menzel ceilings” when renovating rooms at the Dresden South-West high school.

Based on preliminary investigations on the building, which was built in the 1950s, the planners and designers Leonhardt, Andrä and Partner were faced with certain challenges, as the load-bearing capacity of the building’s foundations was limited.

A solution had to be found in which the new ceilings to be installed did not place any greater loads on the foundations. In addition to the systems that are more well-known today, the almost forgotten version with recess or displacement pipes from wbr was also included in the selection.

Compared to the known systems, the recess displacement pipes offer certain advantages. On the one hand, the pipes can be manufactured in individual lengths and can therefore be optimally adapted to the installation situation. The pipes can be inserted into the formwork individually and not just as a prefabricated battery, which is particularly advantageous when space and access options are limited. The same applies to the point anchoring system, which allows several pipes to be combined. All of these points convinced the planners and the executing company Lattermann.

The so-called steel displacement pipes were installed in many bridges in the 1960s and 1970s as hollow bodies to reduce weight. This type of construction is now more of an exception due to the hollow box bridges. In other European countries, there are still projects from time to time, especially when slimmer construction methods are required, which are planned with displacement pipes made of sheet steel. The dimensions of the pipes range from DN 100 mm to a diameter of 1500 mm.