Manufacture des Forges

February 18, 2010 – Built in the beautiful Joux Valley where Audemars Piguet originated in 1875,  German magazine Immobilienmanager recognizes Manufacture des Forges  for its environmentally-friendly design.

Never before has an  industrial facility received this coveted award for its efforts in compliance to “Minergie-Eco®” standards.  Director of Audemars Germany Axel Felmy accepted the award with great pride,  mentioning  the employees and local people will all benefit from this design.

Taking into account health and environmental issues  in the construction of the building  and based on the “Minergie-Eco®” criteria the designers used non-toxic materials in the creation of the plant.  The heating system utilizes a carbon-neutral wood-fired design and instead of traditional air conditioning, the plant is cooled with a “Free-Cooling” design using outside air.

The 300 workers who are employed at the plant enjoy their ergonomic workstations created especially for them.    Special attention was paid to the lighting which is north-facing and offers views of the Orbe.  Beautifully landscaped gardens using native plants provide a stable bank on the river and a lovely sight for the workers.  The landscape design took the local trout into consideration as well offering them a shady place to rest.

Making sure standards were met by the Audemars Piguet Foundation Mrs. Jasmine Audemars, great-granddaughter of the founder and president, presided over the project.  The foundation ensures the  preservation of endangered forests and of raising awareness since 1992.