The newly opened headquarters of a hearing aid manufacturer features a large geothermal system which the company claims is the largest of its kind in Denmark.

The Widex building, near Copenhagen, is heated and cooled entirely by the geothermal system which stores excess heat from the building in a groundwater reservoir, releasing this when needed in the winter. This system reportedly reduces CO₂ emissions by 70% or 700 tonnes compared with traditional heating systems.

The site also includes a 100m high wind turbine which produces more power than the company uses in total, allowing some to be sold back to the grid. The building by Lars Rath of White arkitekter A/S also has 20,000 solar cells across its 600m² façade, rainwater harvesting and a building control system.

“As a high-tech company we have an obligation to ensure our building takes into account limited environmental resources, particularly our over reliance on fossil fuels,” said Widex ceo Jan Tøpholm. “Our investment in the building has been substantial, but if one considers rising energy prices then it makes sense financially.”

http://www.widexbyggeri.dk