Buildings and outdoor space

Sustainability built on solid ground

Land and soil are finite resources. This is especially true in Vorarlberg, which is nestled between Lake Constance and the Alps, where Julius Blum founded our company over 70 years ago.

Multi-storey construction pays off

We build our plants with multiple floors, to optimise our use of the available space. Not only does this keep the footprint of our buildings as small as possible, but the comparatively smaller façades emit less heat and the energy flows are shorter, making the building more energy efficient.

Our efforts have also been recognised by external bodies, with our manufacturing plant in China (which was constructed according to these criteria) being awarded LEED Silver certification.

Biodiversity

Going green on our roofs...

We've had green roofs for over two decades. You can see them flourishing at our plants in Austria and Poland.

But why do we do this? Because green roofs offer many advantages:

And they're more than just "green": to attract even more species to our roofs, we finish the roof surfaces with sand or gravel to make them insect-friendly as well. We also place piles of dead wood on our roofs and create wetland biotopes.

Our biodiversity management system monitors the measures we take for biodiversity and helps us to continuously improve them.

...and on the ground

The green oases on our roofs promote biodiversity, but our biodiversity management doesn't stop there. We also design the areas around our buildings (such as our car parks and other outdoor facilities) to be as eco-friendly as possible. The way we maintain and care for our outdoor spaces also conforms to environmentally-friendly principles.

We pay particular attention to our break areas: this not only strengthens the ecosystem, but also creates a pleasant, healthy environment for our colleagues.

After all, it's much easier to relax in the shade surrounded by colourful blooms.

A variety of herbs, grasses and mosses grow on the roof of Plant 4 in Bregenz. We've even found a species of orchid growing there, which is on the Red List.
Laura Erhart, Sustainability Management
Sustainability at Blum
Energy and climate protection
Circular economy and utilising resources
Environmentally friendly transport
Buildings and outdoor space
Our people
Commitment to sustainability