Heiner Oberrauch: “This is where we work, this is where we live our SALEWA Headquarter is our home”
The OberAlp/SALEWA group has set up camp for its new futuristic headquarter, to become the hub of the company’s activities in a place where technology meets with nature.
This immense project was much desired by Heiner Oberrauch, founder and president of the OberAlp/SALEWA group, and has earned itself the award of the CasaClima “Work&Life” certificate.
At the ceremony of the placing of the first brick of the new headquarter at the beginning of 2010, Heiner Oberrauch, founder and president of the OberAlp group, made a firm and fundamental statement in his speech: “If you wish to reach higher places, you have to have your feet firmly on the ground”. And this is how the new SALEWA building presents itself today, as a building that loyally reflects the philosophy of the company, i.e. looking towards the future with hefty investments without ever forgetting its roots.
“We’ve erected a building with unique characteristics that represent what we are and what our brands stand for”, comments Heiner Oberrauch, “starting with our homeland, South Tyrol, and constructing a building that blends in with the landscape around it, becoming a landmark in the area.”
The new headquarter is rich in symbolic elements, such as its silhouette, which resembles the shape of a mountainous mass and invites one to conjure up images of rock crystals, and such as the choice of materials used, like glass in the large windows on the north side, and a “skin” of aluminium on the south side.
“These elements, along with other attractions at the site have been cause of major interest in the building industry across Europe. 1.200 architects and engineers have already been to visit the site”, reports a SALEWA member of staff proudly.
But official thanks will be handed out by Heiner Oberrauch to all those involved in the project at the official opening ceremony, “Our thanks go out to each and every person that has contributed to the realisation of this amazing project,” comments the OberAlp president, “and we would like to underline the fact that we have, where possible, always used local suppliers and materials, thus creating a continually positive environment over the two years we’ve been working at the building site.” In fact, it can be confirmed that 90 percent of suppliers used were “carbon footprint free”, and that the initiative is, therefore, coherent with the company philosophy.
The SALEWA headquarter are the result of the work requested by the founder of the company right from when invitations for bids were initially announced. “throughout our history we have always tried to create a work environment in which people can aspire to success, “ says Oberrauch, “and we feel that the new building has offered the chance for talented people to plant their seeds in OberAlp soil and watch them grow.”
This is one of the reasons why the headquarter of OberAlp/SALEWA has been awarded the prestigious CasaClima “Work&Life” certificate, judged on a number of technological and strategic criteria relating to the three fields of sustainability: nature and ecology, socio-cultural activity and economic transparency. An example that meets all three of these criteria are the solar panels installed on the roof, which ensure the building complete autonomy and help drastically reduce CO2 emissions.
“We wish to become a symbol of modern and sustainable management”, adds Oberrauch, “and to thus make an effort to look after the land around us.” The new building is clearly not just a place of work, but a public meeting place, where people can climb in the SALEWA Cube climbing hall or eat in the Bivac bistro.
“We will also provide nursery care at our new site for children of our employees during working hours, “states Heiner Oberrauch happily, “and on the top floor of the tower we have placed a fitness centre.”
In other words, this is a place, where work and life are combined. Not an easy thing to achieve, but in this case, thanks to a precise company strategy, successfully in operation.
[caption id="attachment_230365" align="aligncenter" width="590"] Flag of Europe[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]The European Political Community (EPC) is a platform for political and strategic discussions about the future of Europe, established in 2022. The group first met in October 2022 in Prague, with participants from 44 European countries, as well as the President of the European Council and the President of the European Commission.
The EPC was proposed by the French president Emmanuel Macron in May 2022, in his role as t...