Tradition with a future

Sustainable construction? DEPENBROCK

As a strong partner to our customers, we design and implement building concepts that are not only economical and functional, but also meet all the desired sustainability standards. To this end, our experts develop advanced ideas that we use to orient construction projects coherently and as sustainably as possible – from planning and construction through to management. Because this topic is so important to us, we take care to conserve resources throughout the entire construction process and are also committed to sustainability writ large. At DEPENBROCK, we are leading by example – with our nearly CO2-neutral headquarters and the electrification of our vehicle fleet, for example.

Specialised expertise.

Here's how sustainable construction works

At DEPENBROCK, we set the course for sustainable buildings right from the planning stage, for example with our own structural design or technical building equipment department. We also coordinate our processes during implementation with Lean Construction Management, which enables us to save resources in this phase too. Rounding out the sustainable approach to our projects, we offer additional services for the management phase of your real estate with our facility management. This is how we ensure maximum sustainability.

Planning

The planning phase has the greatest influence on the sustainability of a structure. This is why we can make particularly good use of the advantages of our own departments for technical building equipment and structural design. We optimise building type and geometry, design, statics, construction methods, building materials, supplies and technical equipment in-house. We also draw on our facility management expertise right from the planning stage in order to be as cost-effective as possible. From planning to construction and management, we offer services from an experienced expert, for example the construction of your next property that is certified as climate-neutral according to DGNB (German Sustainable Building Council) or meets other high energy standards (passive house or KfW efficiency).

We support the consistent focus on sustainability through the use of Building Information Modelling (BIM). In addition, as a German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB) member, we always have our finger on the pulse of current trends in the construction industry and help define them.

Construction

We rely on lean construction management to coordinate our construction processes optimally. We develop a precise plan for construction, avoid overproduction, and minimise waiting times, transportation routes, stock levels and unnecessary displacements. In this way, we keep errors to a minimum, conserve resources, and lower construction costs. We also maintain and improve our high construction quality with Lean Construction Management, because it allows us to optimise and even more effectively deploy our fleet of machinery and the expertise of our construction personnel.

We take a coherent approach to construction as well: by relying on low-emission equipment and an increasingly electrified vehicle fleet, we are making another important contribution to increasing our sustainability as we carry out projects.

Service

Our DEPENBROCK energy management system (EMS) is a technical example of our options for optimization during the management phase. This allows you to monitor and visualise the energy efficiency of your buildings and production facilities – the first step towards energy optimisation. Our experts for technical facility management and technical building equipment will be happy to support you on this path.

Award-winning sustainability

Sustainability Award 2020

For several years now, the Environmental Foundation of the East Westphalian Economy has presented a sustainability award for environmental protection projects related to the economy in the region. We received this award for our headquarters in Stemwede in 2020 – because geothermal energy, photovoltaics, battery and ice storage and an energy management system make our green site nearly climate-neutral. We emit about 300 fewer tonnes of CO2 every year as a result.

We are also committed to giving students a practical understanding of energy technology. This works particularly well with a project like our headquarters, which serves as a model for the region. This is also where we show our customers what we can do and what expertise we’ve been bundling in our Technical Building Equipment department for over 20 years now.

Because the environment is so important to us

DEPENBROCK sustainability

In addition to construction, we are committed to protecting our environment in many ways, because we can only be truly sustainable if we are fully committed to sustainability.

Nearly CO2-neutral headquarters in Stemwede

At DEPENBROCK, we do everything we can to build for the future. For us, this includes conserving resources as much as possible so as not to overburden our planet. Our headquarters in Stemwede is a good example, as its operation is almost completely CO2-neutral.

To this end, we have bundled numerous innovative solutions and creatively applied our expertise – particularly in the field of technical building equipment. In this way, we have created an innovative and progressive energy concept that serves as a model for the region and sets standards in the construction industry.

Along with our photovoltaic system and battery storage units, our concept for the green location in Stemwede features a number of highlights:

Ice storage tank – There is a ^{410-cubic-metre} underground concrete tank on our premises. Energy obtained from the sun, air and soil is stored as water or ice at a low temperatures. We use this energy to operate two connected brine-to-water heat pumps to heat and cool our buildings.
Geothermal plant – A total of 48 probes in 99-metre-deep vertical boreholes are our practically inexhaustible source of energy.
Natural Cooling – We cool our buildings with cold from the ground via our cooling water network. This allows us to dispense with additional electrically operated refrigeration machines.

With the concept for our headquarters, we are demonstrating how sustainable construction works – and not only to the construction industry. At the same time, Stemwede serves as a prime example of what is possible when our know-how and DEPENBROCK creativity come together. Here, our customers can see what is technically feasible and our specialist engineers can familiarise them with innovative regenerative energy concepts and implementation options for their own properties.

DEPENBROCK fleet of machinery

We are making more and more use of electric cars in our fleet. To charge them, we have charging stations at many locations, which we supply with self-generated electricity from our photovoltaic system. When our own electricity does not suffice, our e-cars can charge up with purchased green electricity.

Green electricity at DEPENBROCK

Although our headquarters in Stemwede is already nearly CO2-neutral, we cannot cover our own electricity requirements completely just yet. To make up the difference, we use green electricity wherever possible – for our office container facilities, construction cranes and the “one-man hotels,” for example.

DGNB membership

We are a member of the DGNB. This is the German Sustainable Building Council. It has been in existence since 2007 and is Europe’s largest sustainable building network. Its proprietary certification system is considered the most advanced in the construction industry worldwide. It takes a holistic view of projects – from planning and optimisation to structural implementation and management over the course of many decades.

Moreover, architects, planners, engineers, investors, building contractors and building services providers can exchange ideas with experts from various disciplines in DGNB committees. This provides the construction industry with new impetus time and again and creates valuable synergies.

DEPENBROCK commitment beyond the construction site as well

We believe that true sustainability only comes about when we think holistically. That’s why we are also committed to environmental protection outside the construction industry: by supporting our partner school, the IHK School of Economics, with its apiary in 2019, for example.

Beehives are an important part of strengthening our ecosystem. But even beehives need electricity – and that’s where we came in. Our Technical Building Equipment department presented the latest sustainable energy generation and supply concepts to students visiting our facilities in Stemwede. To increase the sustainable benefits of the apiary, our Building Technology department developed a photovoltaic system for the apiary that covers all of its electricity requirements.