Interview with the Honorary Chairman of the DGfM, Dr. Hans Georg Leuck

“Inadmissible anchoring in the facing brickwork is effectively prevented with isorocket®.”

Dr. Leuck, the secure and sustainable anchoring of scaffolding to façades is essential in masonry construction. What role do permanent scaffolding anchors, such as the isorocket®, which is the only permanent scaffolding anchor approved by the building authorities for both masonry and concrete, play here?

Dr. Leuck: “In the course of a building’s life cycle, scaffolding is required time and time again in order to be able to carry out the necessary maintenance work on it smoothly. With a permanent scaffolding anchor, there is a fixed anchorage that can be used again and again, so that future damage to the façade is ruled out both for scaffolding erection and when dismantling scaffolding supports.”

Dr. Leuck, most permanent anchor systems fail, especially when it comes to 2-shell masonry. Why is that the case?

Dr. Leuck: “With double-shell masonry, it makes a lot of sense to hold the anchors firmly in the load-bearing inner shell of the outer wall. At the same time, each anchor must be guided through the insulation and the joint of the facing brickwork without any problems. The isorocket® system reliably meets these requirements. Due to the permitted 40 cm distance from the inner shell, all conceivable combinations of insulating materials and facing bricks can be fitted with it. Another important point is the avoidance of thermal bridges when using the isorocket® due to the thermal separation.”

Dr. Leuck, when using the isorocket®, the bricklayer can completely incorporate the anchor body when constructing the facing formwork and does not need to leave any stone exposed at the scaffolding screw in order to then laboriously re-wall and re-point it during scaffolding removal. This is made possible by the way the “swan neck” works. It effectively separates the scaffolding screw from the respective building material used. What do you think?

Dr. Leuck: “This is an important aid that guarantees that the scaffolding is always anchored to the rear load-bearing wall without any problems when the anchor point is reused. The anchoring in the facing wall shell, which is often carried out in everyday practice and is actually not permitted, is thus effectively prevented. This eliminates the otherwise necessary opening of the facing wall shell with the removal of the thermal insulation in order to anchor in the load-bearing masonry, as well as the time-consuming sealing. With conventional anchoring, a dowel is usually used that is larger than the facing joint, so that the facing brick is damaged at the edges when drilling. Preventing all this is a real achievement.”

Dr. Leuck, to what extent are changing substrates a problem in masonry construction?

Dr. Leuck: “This often results in having to use different approved anchors. An anchor that is flexible is helpful and has long been desired. It is therefore welcome that the isorocket® is the only permanent scaffolding anchor with a patented 2-piece division of anchor body and load distribution plate. This makes it extremely flexible and suitable for any or changing substrates. While the load distribution plate is replaced depending on the substrate (concrete or masonry) due to the different load-bearing capacity, the anchor body, eye bolt and sealing plug always remain identical and can be used universally.”

Dr. Leuck, one problem is often damage to the façade when unscrewing the scaffolding screw.

Dr. Leuck: “Here, too, it is pleasing to have a solution. And that is the isorocket® gooseneck: it prevents contact between the scaffolding screw and the wall structure. This prevents damage to the façade when the scaffolding screw is unscrewed.”

About the person

Dr. Hans Georg Leuck is Managing Director of BMO KS-Vertrieb BIELEFELD-MÜNSTER-OSNABRÜCK GmbH & Co. KG and Honorary Chairman of the German Association for Masonry and Residential Construction (DGfM) in Berlin.

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