Flood Defenses, Hockenheim, Germany

The flood defenses in Hockenheim not only protect the area from flooding but also form a green hub in the heart of the city.

Hockenheim in Baden-Württemberg was spared from the catastrophic floods of July 2021. But climate change is challenging many towns and cities near rivers to prepare for heavy rain events and flash floods. The city of Hockenheim had already developed the idea for improved flood defenses in 1999, intended to offer protection from such 100-year flood events. 

The 16 million euro project was financed partly by the City of Hockenheim, who pledged 4 million euros. The rest was covered by the state of Baden-Württemberg. The project saw almost 800 meters of the Kraibach river and the Mühlkanal canal joined together. New dams and flood walls were also erected. 

The flood protection wall was built as a supporting wall. To give the wall an attractive, natural design, formliners from the RECKLI SELECT range were used. The 2/164 Brabant design applied a horizontal, slanting brickwork texture to the concrete. The concrete was processed in a precast concrete plant as well as in-situ. 

The first step in building the flood defense wall was to set up a working platform in the water from which 13 meter long bulkheads could be rammed into the river bed. These were then clad in pre-fabricated concrete elements customized using RECKLI formliners. The wall’s caps were produced using in-situ concrete on the bulkhead. During the concrete production process, the formliners were positioned in the forms before the concrete was poured. After curing, the shells were removed and the formliners had embossed their patterns into the concrete.