Multiple small green roofs also make a big impact

The company Julius Blum GmbH, based in Vorarlberg in Austria, chose to provide all of the roofed pause areas and bicycle sheds around its factory in Bregenz with a sustainable green MobiRoof Eco roof.

Blum is a global company specialising in the production and sale of furniture fittings. As a co-founder of Turn to Zero (formerly Climate Neutrality Alliance 2025), the manufacturer has voluntarily committed itself to reducing its overall CO2 emissions as much as possible. At its eight sites in Vorarlberg, the carbon footprint has already been reduced by 40% by using strictly electricity from rural river power plants.

Leading the way with green roofs for 25 years

Blum has been applying green roofs on their own premises for almost 25 years. Six of Austria’s eight factories now have green roofs. The green roofs have been applied everywhere where they fall in line with further infrastructure development on the sites and where the structural condition of the buildings allows. Blum, like Mobilane, values the preservation of a liveable environment for future generations. When expanding its own infrastructure, the family-owned company always takes into account the promotion of biodiversity. ‘The benefits of green roofs are considerable and we are keen to make use of them. As part of the expansion of Plant 6, numerous green outdoor spaces were created with a focus on biodiversity. Around our largest plant in Bregenz, plant 4, we were also able to implement a multifaceted biodiversity concept. We replaced the outdated bicycle sheds and greened them with MobiRoof ECO,’ says Mark Arlanch, who is responsible for building technology at Blum.

Sustainable and easy to maintain

Blum wanted not only to green the roofs of the large buildings, but also to use the many small roofs of the pause areas and bicycle sheds as compensation zones. ‘Mobilane’s MobiRoof ECO sedum cassettes are so easy to use that anyone can install them without much effort. Thanks to the dense vegetation, green roof maintenance is very easy. We had all our own roof structures custom-made, taking into account the standard dimensions of Mobilane’s pre-planted sedum cassettes,’ says Mark Arlanch of Blum.

MobiRoof ECO

MobiRoof ECO cassettes are put together like a jigsaw puzzle to create a continuous green roof in no time. MobiRoof ECO is a system developed with circularity in mind. The cassettes are made of recycled polypropylene, which is strong, durable and in turn also fully recyclable. They are filled with substrate and perennial sedum species, such as white stonecrop (Sedum album), carpet bantam (sedum spurium) and tripadam (Sedum rupetre), sourced from certified sustainable cultivation. The plant layer is not only an eye-catcher, but also has an insulating and sound-absorbing effect. In addition, the green roof improves air quality by reducing carbon dioxide and absorbing particulates to some extent and promotes local biodiversity.

The substrate layer in the cassettes not only serves as a growing medium, but also provides drainage and water storage. The water storage capacity is about 20 litres per square metre. The capacity can even be increased by adding a drainage layer under the cassette. The unit also protects the roof from weather influences. The MobiRoof ECO green roof system is therefore eligible for subsidies and tax breaks.

Technical details:

– Project: Julius Blum GmbH, Bregenz, Factory 4
– Planning and execution: Fa. Ziegler Außenanlagen GmbH, Regau
– Product used: 1440 cassettes of MobiRoof ECO Sedum from Mobilane
– Area: 360 square metres, distributed over several roofs
– Placed in June 2024