At the official laying of the foundations, building owners Markus and Jennifer Juchheim, together with Lord Mayor Markus Ibert of Lahr, sealed a so-called time capsule, which will later be embedded in the structure of the building. It contains a daily newspaper, a 1 Euro coin from the year 2024, the construction plans, a current issue of the employee magazine and a JULABO frog as a lucky charm. The symbolic idea behind this time capsule is to preserve a selection of items that will give people in the distant future an insight into the times and culture of those who constructed the building.

After the preparatory ground work was successfully completed in December 2023, construction work is now starting on the new production and logistics building with a floor area of almost 5,000 m². Construction is expected to take around one year. "We are planning to move individual areas of series production and logistics to Lahr in spring 2025," explains JULABO CEO Markus Juchheim. "As our available production space at our headquarters in Seelbach is almost exhausted, our new plant will help us enormously in the medium and long term to operate and grow sustainably." The site, with around 30,000 m² of floor space, also offers sufficient potential for further construction phases in the future.

"I am delighted that we are able to offer a successful company from the region an attractive location for expansion," says Markus.  Ibert, Lord Mayor of the city of Lahr and Chairman of the Zweckverband Industrie- und Gewerbepark Raum Lahr (IGP). "The area of IGP not only offers the opportunity to attract companies to our economic region, but also development opportunities for companies that are already based here. The establishment of such a technologically advanced production company creates qualified jobs and expands the industry mix in our area. The expansion of JULABO is therefore another strong and encouraging signal for the future, especially at a time when the overall economic outlook is difficult in some areas."

The new production building is certified in accordance with the strict criteria of the German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB). In order to receive this certification, all aspects relating to the entire life cycle costs of the construction project must be designed to be particularly resource-conserving and energy-efficient. "The building materials were selected according to criteria such as durability and sustainability," explains architect Lioba Keienburg. "The building ground is filled with recycled material from old airfield hangars, eliminating long transportation routes. The supporting structure is made of wood, a renewable raw material. Avoiding particularly energy-intensive materials such as reinforced concrete minimizes the building’s CO₂ footprint."

The energy-optimized building envelope is equipped with efficient technology and a photovoltaic system on the roof. This means that the building generates its entire annual energy requirement itself. A heat pump is used for passive heating and cooling of the hall in summer. The green roof as summer heat protection relieves the infiltration areas as additional rainwater storage. "The new building therefore fits in perfectly with our strategic corporate goal of GoGreen, which aims to align all company activities with sustainability and economic efficiency," adds Markus Juchheim.

The new location in Lahr is also interesting for JULABO from an employer attractiveness perspective. Located directly on the Autobahn A5, close to the border with France and with excellent public transport connections, the temperature control technology specialist will offer easily accessible, future-proof jobs for new employees in a larger catchment area.