Levi’s plans to build Germany’s “greenest warehouse”

Levi Strauss & Co. is designing the “Positive Footprint Warehouse” logistics property with Dutch real estate developer Delta Development Group, which Delta claims will be the first logistics property in Germany to follow the Cradle-to-Cradle sustainability standard. This warehouse aims to become Germany’s “greenest warehouse”.

The plant, which is approximately 70,000 m2 in size and is located at the revitalized mining site in Dorsten, will serve Levi Strauss as its European distribution center beginning in 2023 for a 20-year lease period.

The building will follow the Cradle-to-Cradle (C2C) concept, which is being designed in collaboration with the design company Quadrant4. This entails circular architecture focusing on recycling, resource conservation, and waste reduction, with the aim of minimizing the ecological footprint. As a result, the components used in the construction of a property must be evaluated and planned for recyclability from the point of manufacturing to use in the building and recycle before being built.

Delta intends to plan any construction material in Levi’s warehouse for recycling and document it in a materials archive as a result. A special architectural usage would then allow for simple differentiation by a material form at the end of the building’s life cycle. Furthermore, only low-pollutant materials can be used to maintain a continuously high degree of air quality in the interior spaces.

Furthermore, the warehouse will be designed using “Human-Centered Design,” with a philosophy that emphasizes social exchange and creativity, as well as various communal and green spaces.

A rooftop greenhouse, in addition to the outdoor green areas, will be used to preserve habitats as well as serve as a storage point and treatment system for the building’s internal water supply. The center is supposed to fulfill the bulk of its own energy needs by using green energy sources. The LEED and WELL certifications are meant to bolster the building’s environmental credentials. LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is a rating and certification system for determining a building’s sustainability results, while WELL is the first and only certification system dedicated to the health and well-being of building occupants.

CEO of Delta Development Group Germany, Edwin Meijerink, said that since 2003, Delta has followed the C2C paradigm almost entirely, ensuring that their projects are still focused on the future of the world. Sustainability, wellness, and economic performance are all inextricably linked.