GRAZ TAKES TO COLOUR RED

How can new life be breathed into a once pulsating quarter to make it more attractive? This question was asked by Creative Industries Styria in the case of the Jakomini Quarter in the Austrian city of Graz, when they launched an architecture competition.

The winning project by young architects Sandra Janser and Elisabeth Koller is called “Ready. Steady. Go!” and transforms the pavements of Grazbachgasse and Jakominiplatz into an eye-catching, glaring red race track – usually found in a track and field stadium – to connect Jakomini Straße and Klosterwiesgasse.

Stoll Reflex GmbH provided the adequate road marking material for this project. 17 tons of red high friction cold plastics were applied to form the 750 meter long track and 1200 meters of grey lines were drawn. “The material excels through high skid-resistance and longevity and is absolutely environmentally compatible,” explains Dr. Harald Musil, managing director of Stoll Reflex. All in all, the road marking took three weeks to complete. “The Jakomini Quarter has a lot of potential, not only because it is the direct connection to the South and hence to Messe Graz, the city’s trade show venue,” rejoices municipal councilor Mag. Sonja Grabner about the successful revitalization.
The sight of the red race track in Graz has caused a lot of excitement, for example on several websites, where it was chosen “Pic of the day”.