Local Economic Development

In 2020, the city of Lörrach purchased the 8.5-hectare Lauffenmühle site, a former textile factory. This was made possible largely through urban development funding from the federal government and the state of Baden-Württemberg, totaling 9.1 million euros.

Following discussions with the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, the idea emerged to create a climate-neutral business park on the site using wood construction. The climate neutrality should be demonstrable, and from the city’s perspective, this is most easily achievable through wooden construction.

Wood is more than sufficiently available in the town of Lörrach and its proximity to the Black Forest. The town council and politicians are convinced that wood is a competitively priced building material and is not a limiting factor in the use of commercial buildings, but offers numerous advantages compared to concrete or cement, for example in terms of fire protection and earthquake safety.

To date, there have only been a few commercial buildings constructed from wood in Germany, but no industrial estate with a comparable concept. By contrast, timber buildings have become established in residential construction, even in larger units, such as Munich’s Prinz Eugen Park with 600 flats in timber or timber hybrid construction, which is currently the largest contiguous timber housing estate in Europe.

A climate-neutral business park for sustainable companies is to be developed on the Lauffenmühle site. Sustainability is the focus not only in construction but also in terms of the companies that will settle in the area. The idea is that “sustainable businesses need a sustainable business park.” Companies from production, research, services, and innovative craftsmanship will be encouraged to settle in the area, provided they pursue sustainable business ideas, commit to circular and regional economies, adopt sustainable supply chains, and focus on energy efficiency. The area is intended to be both a workplace and a living space, offering an attractive mix of quality of life, leisure activities, services, and sociocultural amenities.

The historical factory buildings on the site, with their natural stone facades, are not under preservation orders but will be renovated and preserved in their basic structure to be repurposed for new commercial uses. This will also help secure local identification with the project, especially in neighboring areas.

With a plausibility check and a potential analysis, the city of Lörrach sharpened the profile of the business areas and developed the framework for a specific certification process to implement wooden construction in a legally secure manner. The process is comparable to the energy efficiency classes A to G for electrical appliances.

As part of the wood construction initiative, Lörrach is developing good practices to promote commercial wood construction in Baden-Württemberg. The plan is to collaborate with woodworking companies that primarily use regional products and process as much damaged wood from forests as possible.

In March 2024, up to 14 architectural firms will present their ideas for the Lauffenmühle site. Based on these designs, Lörrach will prepare a development plan that includes largely autonomous energy supply with solar and wood, innovative mobility concepts, and a high-performance digital infrastructure for a competitive and future-oriented business park.
Approximately 4.5 hectares of the site will be re-planned, while 4 hectares will retain some of the existing identity-defining buildings. The commercial spaces will range from 1,000 to 10,000 square meters.

After more than 150 years of textile industry history at the Lauffenmühle site, the project “Lauffenmühle – next innovation” marks the beginning of a new, forward-looking era that continues the tradition of working with renewable raw materials. The first companies are expected to settle on the site by 2026. The city hopes that this development will bring new momentum and create jobs in the region.

With the project “Lauffenmühle – next innovation,” the city of Lörrach is developing a business park that ideally combines form and substance as part of a sustainable transformation. The planned wooden construction offers a feasible path toward climate neutrality. This project can serve as a model for other municipalities in Germany and internationally, proving that entire business parks can be built from wood.