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Rehabilitation

Göttingen
Embankment wall of the Leine Canal

Göttingen, Germany / 09.2021 - 02.2022

The Leine Canal runs right through Göttingen’s old town; its origins date back to the 13th century. This historic waterway has shaped the town’s development over the centuries and remains a distinctive feature of the townscape to this day. As part of the redevelopment of the street ‘Am Leinekanal’, a further section of the listed embankment wall was restored. The restoration work was carried out under the supervision of the heritage conservation authorities.

Picture shows the work on the bank wall of the Leine Canal, Göttingen. A man in a white protective suit is sandblasting the wall.
© PORR

Facts & Figures

Company

PORR Spezialtiefbau GmbH

Type

Rehabilitation

Runtime

09.2021 - 02.2022

Principal
RST Rohrleitungs-, Straßen- und Tiefbau GmbH

Rehabilitation of historic embankments along the Leine Canal

Rehabilitation of historic embankment walls on the Leine Canal

Between Prinzenstraße and the footbridge at StockleffmĂŒhle, PORR special civil engineering rehabilitated a total of 110 mÂČ of historic limestone masonry and replaced 31 mÂł of the wall coping. The works were part of the ongoing restoration of the Leine Canal’s embankment walls, which have been maintained for centuries and are being restored in sections. The aim was to preserve and safeguard the existing masonry whilst taking into account the listed building fabric.

Masonry rehabilitation for historic structures

The rehabilitation of natural stone and limestone masonry requires the methods to be precisely tailored to the existing structure. In the case of historic structures, various measures are employed to seal cavities, ensure the load-bearing capacity of the masonry and reduce the effects of damp. On the Leine Canal, 5,000 kg of injection mortar was injected into existing voids for this purpose. In addition, 57 masonry anchors were installed to help structurally reinforce the masonry.

Joint rehabilitation using the dry-spray method

The dry-spray method was used to perform the rehabilitation of the masonry surfaces. Following the rehabilitation of the joints, the surfaces were cleaned by sandblasting. The combination of masonry injections, masonry pins and joint rehabilitation enabled the historic limestone wall to be treated whilst taking the existing building fabric into account.

Renewal of the wall coping

The work was completed with the rehabilitation of the wall coping. For this, 22 mÂł of concrete cover was cast, reinforced with approximately 2.5 t of steel bars. The renewed wall coping complements the rehabilitation work on the historic masonry and forms the upper finish of the embankment wall along the Leine Canal.

Contribution to the preservation of a historic hydraulic structure

With the rehabilitation of the limestone masonry, the masonry grouting, the joint repair and the renewal of the wall coping, a further section of the historic embankment wall along the Leine Canal has been restored. The measures carried out contribute to the preservation of a structure that has shaped the history and character of Göttingen’s old town for more than 700 years.