3/16/11
SALEWA headquarters receives first "Work & Life" award
The ClimateHouse Agency has awarded the project for the new SALEWA headquarters their Work & Life seal of quality in advance of project completion. Specialists from the body examined both the architecture and business plans of the Bolzano project under the criteria of social/cultural, ecology, and economy. Each aspect was awarded the best mark "Summa cum laude". Heiner Oberrauch, president and owner of the SALEWA group, responded modestly to the news: Sustainability is something that should be put into practice on a daily basis and not endlessly discussed.
Bolzano (IT), February 2011 – Heiner Oberrauch, president and owner of the SALEWA group, accepted advance certification for the planned new headquarters on January 29th, 2011. During the event with over 500 guests Ing. Martina Demattio from ClimateHouse Agency praised the construction project and the sophisticated thinking behind it. Norbert Lantschner, director of the ClimateHouse Agency and former director of the Department for Air and Noise of the autonomous province of Bolzano said that ecology and economics are no longer incompatible concerns when it comes to large construction projects. Quite the contrary: focussing on a healthy ecology will pay off within a short time in economic terms, and a company with a stable economic foundation is able to exercise responsible control over the ecological impact of its business activities.
The ClimateHouse Agency in Bolzano is a public body dedicated to certifying the energy ratings of buildings. It has certified over 2,700 buildings in Italy alone. One of its main areas of focus are initiatives to raise public awareness on the issues of energy efficiency, sustainability and climate change.
SALEWA’s "Work & Life" certification was awarded on the basis of technical and strategic criteria in three key areas of sustainability: nature, life from a social and cultural perspective, and economic transparency. The new SALEWA headquarters is the first commercial building in Southern Tyrol to be awarded this certificate.
Oberrauch was delighted to receive this distinction to the applause of the assembled guests, as were the two chief architects of the project, Cino Zucchi and Filippo Pagliani of Park Associati. However, Oberrauch also expressed criticism over the often inflated usage of "sustainable" these days. He preferred to speak about the responsibilities a company has to its employees, to society, and to nature and the environment - in contrast to those who adhere only to a short-term profit motive.
"I asked myself what will bring happiness, what things will have value, when I am 70 years old sitting in my garden and looking back on my life," was how the 52-year-old director explained his motivation for rational and meaningful leadership of his company. "It makes sense for me that the president of the company doesn't drive straight up to the main door in his car, but instead we use this space to provide parking places for staff bicycles and free charging stations for electric vehicles. It also makes sense to have a CO2-neutral building which produces twice as much power from solar roof tiles as it consumes. It is also sensible when the food in our canteens is prepared with healthy regional ingredients and short ways.”
But for all the talk about good deeds, it is deeds themselves which speak most clearly. And so, the sixth-generation entrepreneur finished off with a well-known quotation from Erich Kästner, which was given a very particular meaning in the context: "Nothing good happens unless you do it."
Bolzano (IT), February 2011 – Heiner Oberrauch, president and owner of the SALEWA group, accepted advance certification for the planned new headquarters on January 29th, 2011. During the event with over 500 guests Ing. Martina Demattio from ClimateHouse Agency praised the construction project and the sophisticated thinking behind it. Norbert Lantschner, director of the ClimateHouse Agency and former director of the Department for Air and Noise of the autonomous province of Bolzano said that ecology and economics are no longer incompatible concerns when it comes to large construction projects. Quite the contrary: focussing on a healthy ecology will pay off within a short time in economic terms, and a company with a stable economic foundation is able to exercise responsible control over the ecological impact of its business activities.
The ClimateHouse Agency in Bolzano is a public body dedicated to certifying the energy ratings of buildings. It has certified over 2,700 buildings in Italy alone. One of its main areas of focus are initiatives to raise public awareness on the issues of energy efficiency, sustainability and climate change.
SALEWA’s "Work & Life" certification was awarded on the basis of technical and strategic criteria in three key areas of sustainability: nature, life from a social and cultural perspective, and economic transparency. The new SALEWA headquarters is the first commercial building in Southern Tyrol to be awarded this certificate.
Oberrauch was delighted to receive this distinction to the applause of the assembled guests, as were the two chief architects of the project, Cino Zucchi and Filippo Pagliani of Park Associati. However, Oberrauch also expressed criticism over the often inflated usage of "sustainable" these days. He preferred to speak about the responsibilities a company has to its employees, to society, and to nature and the environment - in contrast to those who adhere only to a short-term profit motive.
"I asked myself what will bring happiness, what things will have value, when I am 70 years old sitting in my garden and looking back on my life," was how the 52-year-old director explained his motivation for rational and meaningful leadership of his company. "It makes sense for me that the president of the company doesn't drive straight up to the main door in his car, but instead we use this space to provide parking places for staff bicycles and free charging stations for electric vehicles. It also makes sense to have a CO2-neutral building which produces twice as much power from solar roof tiles as it consumes. It is also sensible when the food in our canteens is prepared with healthy regional ingredients and short ways.”
But for all the talk about good deeds, it is deeds themselves which speak most clearly. And so, the sixth-generation entrepreneur finished off with a well-known quotation from Erich Kästner, which was given a very particular meaning in the context: "Nothing good happens unless you do it."
