SOPREMA HEADQUARTERS: POSITIVE IMPACT ON PEOPLE AND PLANET

At Soprema, we are dedicated to research and development, continuously innovating and improving our solution offering, to assist architects and contractors to build better, more sustainable, future-proof buildings. We also attach tremendous importance to the welfare of our colleagues. This is why we built a workplace that not only showcases our expertise and what we stand for at Soprema, but also has a positive impact on our colleagues’ wellbeing, innovation, and motivation. In this article, we proudly introduce you to our head office, Le Grand Charles. 115 YEARS OF EXPERTISE IN 1 BUILDING Le Grand Charles is located in Strasbourg, France, near the Port du Rhin. The building is an ode to Charles Geisen, who laid the foundations of the Soprema Group in 1908 by launching the ‘Mammouth’, a durable and innovative bitumen waterproofing membrane, which formed the basis of our business. Our logo still refers to the foundation of our organisation, and our headquarters even house a skeleton of an ancient mammouth! Throughout the years, we have become a market leader in waterproofing, insulation, soundproofing, and roof garden solutions, taking into account the growing importance for sustainable construction materials, which yield circular construction. The knowledge and technical expertise we have gathered for over a century allows us to offer reliable and durable systems for the complete building envelope and assist specifiers and contractors to choose the best solutions for their project. Le Grand Charles building is an example of what building for the future can look like. A SUSTAINABLE OFFICE LIKE NO OTHER As experts in sustainable construction, we have invested heavily in sustainable solutions for Le Grand Charles. In order to reduce our energy usage, the whole building was properly insulated. To mitigate our environmental footprint even further, we have fitted over 83 solar panels on our specially designed solar “yellow” roof, and have installed a geothermal heat pump, which provides environmentally friendly heating and air conditioning for the whole building. As a result, we are almost completely independent from fossil fuels. We not only strive to keep our environmental footprint as small as possible; we want to actively and positively contribute to our surroundings, and to give back to nature as much as we can. Hence the 400 m2 of greenery and more than 12,000 plants and shrubs on our site. You can even spot trees on our green roofs, which we designed and installed ourselves. Finally, through an installation of a blue roof, we have designed a system for rainwater retention, to optimise Le Grand Charles’ water management. Our blue roof recuperates precious rainwater for domestic use, while boosting the biodiversity and improving the living conditions for flora and fauna. IMPACT ON PEOPLE In addition to caring about the planet, we care about the wellbeing of our colleagues at work. We put people first and have fostered a culture of open communication, mutual trust, and appreciation while offering plenty of training opportunities. This is why we made sure Le Grand Charles is a warm and inspiring building where everyone feels welcome. Our colleagues based in Strasbourg and all visiting colleagues can enjoy a lovely meal in our on-site restaurant, relax on the office patios, or work on their fitness thanks to our 400 m2 sports area which includes a padel field, a football pitch, a squash court and a gym. Our clients are also very welcome to visit Le Grand Charles. SOPREMA MAMMOUTH: A NOD TO THE PAST All visitors to our headquarters are greeted by the 10,000-year-old mammouth, named Le Grand Charles as well, standing in the lobby of our Port du Rhin office. A few years ago, Soprema CEO Pierre-Étienne Bindschedler managed to acquire this woolly mammouth skeleton, which is one of the largest and most intact ever found. 10 feet tall, with tusks of more than 9 feet long and weighing around 353 pounds, it was a perfect means for our CEO to honour his great-grandfather, Charles Geisen.

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