dormakaba Holding AG

Environmental & Social Information • Jun 21, 2022

News Details

Corporate | 21 June 2022 14:56

With architects we speak the common language when it comes to Sustainability

On 4 th May 2022, the Product Design meets Architects panel discussion took place for the third time in Frankfurt am Main, in collaboration with the German Design Council. The key topics of the event were Sustainable Strategy, Sustainable Design and Sustainable Innovation, which were intensively discussed among dormakaba representatives and eight architects from well-known international architectural firms.

The renowned German Design Council secured a neutral environment, that gave space for open discussions, and knowledge exchange on dormakaba’s sustainability strategy and product innovation, architectural trends, and preferences when it comes to choosing products. The participants highlighted the need for change and agreed that sustainability is a driver for innovation.

“During the 80s and 90s what made a product desirable shifted from pure functionality to more emotional aspects, later we witnessed a shift towards experience, and now the focus is on impact. It is not anymore only the “look and feel” that matters, but the impact of the product as well. And a product that is responsibly produced makes it more desirable. Overall, this was an inspiring event with lot of insightful talks around sustainability, a common topic that is increasingly in the focus for both dormakaba and architectural firms, regardless of their styles. Their positive feedback on our work and on the direction we have set is a strong validation for us.” – said Bernhard Heitz, Design Strategic Manager at dormakaba.

The architect community is clearly aware that sustainability is of increasing importance in the building sector, as almost 40% of global CO 2 emissions is generated by building operations and construction . dormakaba is part of this sector, therefore sustainability is at the core of its strategy and it is present in its product development processes, among others:

• dormakaba’s sustainability commitment and life cycle approach are integrated into the Product Design Manual, which is binding for all new dormakaba-branded products.
• The dormakaba XEA product design toolbox includes binding and suggested sustainability factors to be implemented during the product development process.
• dormakaba is working towards targets on circular economy, the responsible use of materials, furthermore on increasing energy efficiency and the level of recycled content in the products, and decreasing CO 2 emissions during the whole life cycle of the products.
• Some of the dormakaba products stand out through sustainability features, for example the ST Pro Green (thermal separation and triple glazing), and the ES Proline (less power consumption in operation compared to the previous generation, thanks to new drives without gears).

In the video below you can learn more about the opinion and approaches the invited architects shared during the event.