Site development and use
Resource-saving development and opting for renewables in the name of sustainability minimises the use of land at our sites and makes full use of the space available. We coordinate building layouts, production processes and logistics and warehousing concepts to maximise the effectiveness of heat recovery or the shortness of transportation routes, for example.
Multi-storey construction
Land and soil are finite resources. In Vorarlberg, nestled between Lake Constance and the Alps, where Julius Blum founded our company more than 70 years ago, land is a valuable resource. That is why we opt for multi-storey plant buildings, to minimize the use of land and make full use of the space available. The building is not only a space-saving construction but also offers two additional ecological benefits: First, the development scheme gives us energy-efficient buildings. The comparatively smaller façades emit less heat and the energy flows in the building are shorter and more efficient. The expansion of Plant 4 in Bregenz is one such example. The new building will have primary areas on five levels, ancillary areas on nine levels and will include a covered car park. Due to our multi-storey building concept, we are developing about 14,000 m² of land, which is roughly the size of two football pitches, to create more than 49,000 m² of floor space, which is equivalent to seven football pitches. Even if this means more effort and expense in planning, building work and investment, we are convinced that multi-storey construction pays off in the long term.
Renewables in day-to-day operations
We use renewable forms of energy worldwide in our day-to-day operations – from the power supply, to building services, to production. Two plants in Hoechst are equipped with photovoltaic systems and this kind of environmentally friendly energy source is also used in the Bregenz plant. They generate electricity from sunlight, whereas solar thermal technology – which is employed at the Blum plant in Gaissau – uses the warmth of the sunlight. A total of 1,873 m² of solar panels are installed in Vorarlberg, producing 306,832 kWh per year, which is equivalent to the annual consumption of 76 family homes.
