Extension work on the Manufacture Jaeger-LeCoultre is proceeding at a steady rate and the new building will open on December 1st 2009.
As of then, a new 9,000 square-meter production area will be added to the existing 16,000 square metres in order to meet the demands imposed by the brand’s continuous growth. In order to preserve the exceptional natural setting that has contributed to forging its legendary spirit of innovation, the Grande Maison in the Vallée de Joux is demonstrating its concrete commitment to sustainable development by earning two labels testifying to the environment-friendly quality of this new architectural achievement: on the one hand, the Minergie certificate granted to buildings ensuring a high level of comfort with low energy consumption; and on the other, the hydrolocale label which guarantees a supply of electricity produced by a renewable hydraulic energy, locally produced with water from the Joux lake.
Jointly supported by the Swiss federal government, the cantons and economic circles, the Minergie association has issued a series of criteria that take account of the demands of sustainable development within the construction sector. For an industrial building, the Minergie standards combine ideal working conditions with low energy consumption.
They comprise a protective building shell with a high airtightness coefficient in order to prevent cold air seeping in, as well as excellent thermal insulation in order to avoid heat loss in winter or excessive heat in summer. They also foresee a controlled ventilation system to ensure air renewal without needing to open windows and thus lose the advantages procured by the airtightness and the insulation.
Within the special climate conditions of the Valléé de Joux, which is perched at an altitude of 1,000 meters, the protective shell must withstand the assault of sometimes fierce winds. The excellent heat insulation must avoid any heat loss through the walls, the roof and the windows. To meet this demand, the architects have foreseen an under-apron insulation as a complement to the peripheral insulation and the fitting of triple glazing. These solutions enable the new building to actually exceed Minergie standards. The controlled ventilation system ensures constant renewal of the air and greatly reduces the need to resort to air-conditioning. The building also meets the complementary criteria of the Minérgie éco label, relating in particular to the optimisation of natural lighting, noise reduction and the use of readily available raw materials that can be recycled or eliminated in a biodegradable manner.
Various recovery processes have significantly reduced water consumption, despite an increase in production. Machines will be cooled via a closed-circuit water loop and an external fresh-air capture system.
The hydro-locale label with the Joux lake as an energy source
Thanks to the installation of solar panels, the new building will produce around one-third of its electricity consumption and will cover all its hot-water requirements, while the remaining two thirds of the electric energy required to operate the new installations will be certified by the hydro-locale label awarded by the Romande Energie electricity company to accumulation stations installed on water courses. The use of this clean and decentralised energy source testifies to a determination to make the most of regional potential.
In the early 20th century, a water supply point set up in the small Brenet lake adjacent to the Joux lake put an end to the periodic flooding endured by the Vallée de Joux. A system of pressure pipelines takes this water to the Dernier electric power station located near the Orbe gorges which gave rise to the Compagnie vaudoise des forces motrices des lacs de Joux et de l’Orbe, the forerunner of the contemporary Romande Energie company. Its annual production amounts to 32 millions of kWh. One-tenth of the production of this power station is already reserved for the Manufacture Jaeger-LeCoultre, which will maintain as its only external power source a “blue-label” electricity produced from a natural resource within the Vallée de Joux.
Jaeger-LeCoultre’s eco-responsible attitude
In addition to meet the specific criteria of each of these two ecological labels, Jaeger-LeCoultre also takes account of the environmental impacts implied by the entire life cycle of a building. In addition to the user-friendly demands designed to enable watchmakers, engineers and craftsmen to work in the best possible conditions, the eco-responsible commitment of the Manufacture is also expressed by the use of materials with low “grey-energy” content, meaning the quantity of energy required for the production, manufacturing, transport and recycling of its products.
Thus, rather than merely complying with existing norms, Jaeger-LeCoultre implements a proactive attitude towards achieving sustainable development. This leads it to seek innovative and environment-friendly solutions in the construction of a new building that illustrates both absolute respect for an exceptionally beautiful setting, as well as the Manufacture’s high ambitions for the 21st century.
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