Sustainability

Eco not ego

Environmental awareness means responsibility, even in the smallest details. This awareness was a guiding principle right from the planning stage of vigilius, for a symbiosis of modern design, comfort and sustainability.

Sustainable architecture

Larch wood

Larch wood has been part of vigilius from the very beginning. A material that belongs here, grown in the same landscape that carries the house. Its natural resin makes it robust and enduring. The façade of larch blends quietly into its surroundings, not as a contrast but as a continuation of the forest on the Vigiljoch. Over time it changes, taking on new tones with the light. A reminder that architecture, too, is part of a living landscape.

Clay

When the heating is not in use, the clay walls absorb the cool night air and keep the room pleasantly temperate on warm days.

They soften natural temperature changes and gently regulate humidity, creating a balanced indoor climate, without the need for artificial cooling.

Glass

The vigilius opens toward the landscape with generous glass surfaces. Triple glazing ensures clarity and daylight without unnecessary energy loss. Light becomes a natural companion, while the construction keeps warmth where it belongs. Even in its exposed position on the mountain, the building’s heating needs remain low. It makes careful use of what nature offers and protects what should be preserved.

The result is a house that welcomes light and conserves energy: an architecture in which efficiency and awareness come together naturally.

Wood Chips

Our wood chips come directly from the Vigiljoch, supplied by mountain farmers from the immediate surroundings. From the beginning, it was clear that vigilius would be heated with biomass, using energy sourced locally. In this way, we support the mountain economy, keep transport routes short and maintain a heating cycle that stays in balance with the nature that sustains us.

Earthcheck: lived responsibility

The EarthCheck Gold certification has accompanied the vigilius for many years. It confirms what the architecture has expressed from the very beginning: a house that respects resources and works in dialogue with nature.
EarthCheck makes the invisible measurable: energy, water, emissions, and the careful use of materials. At the vigilius, these are not external requirements, but part of an inner logic shaped by reduction, clarity, and awareness.

Gold stands for continuity. Year after year, the vigilius shows that responsibility does not rest on individual actions alone, but emerges through many interconnected decisions, in the way light is invited in, warmth is retained, and cycles are designed to remain as closed as possible.

Sustainability thus becomes a quiet constant. Not a statement, but an attitude.

Our promise

Our sustainability policy

South Tyrolean Sustainability Label - Level 3

The South Tyrolean Sustainability Label recognises a form of sustainability rooted in the surrounding landscape. It confirms processes that are designed to be close to the landscape, the people and the resources of this region: materials with provenance, short transport routes, established relationships with local partners and mindful use of what is available here.

Level 3 is the highest distinction of the label. It shows that responsibility is not only reflected in the building itself, but also in the cycles that support it. A house that remains closely connected to its surroundings: culturally, ecologically and socially.

This leads to an understanding of sustainability that is unobtrusive and firmly grounded: a quiet exchange between architecture and landscape, between the place and the way we choose to inhabit it.

Sustainable Development Goals: a compass for responsibility

On the Vigiljoch, we feel how clearly nature speaks when we are willing to pause. In this silence, awareness emerges, for what sustains us and for what we wish to protect. The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals are more than global guidelines for us. They are a compass that guides our daily decisions: mindful, committed, and in harmony with the place entrusted to us. Among them all, the goals that most closely guide our choices are Goals 7, 8, 11 and 12.

7 - Affordable and Clean Energy

On the Vigiljoch, energy is precious. We use it consciously, quietly, and in harmony with nature. The architecture of the house, natural materials, and efficient systems help us reduce consumption and draw from renewable sources wherever possible. This creates a place that offers warmth without leaving a trace.

8 - Decent Work and Economic Growth

A house like the vigilius lives through the people who fill it with calm, sincerity, and professionalism. We create working environments grounded in appreciation and growth, and we strengthen the regional economy through long-term partnerships. For us, sustainability begins where people enjoy their work and evolve together.

11 - Sustainable Cities and Communities

The vigilius can only be reached by cable car: a conscious decision for gentle mobility and for protecting a unique natural setting. We see ourselves as part of the Vigiljoch community and contribute to preserving this place of strength: car-free, unhurried, and deeply rooted in the history of the mountain.

12 - Responsible Consumption and Production

Mindfulness begins with the small decisions of everyday life. We choose materials and products that endure, favour regional cycles, and reduce waste and excess wherever possible. At the vigilius, responsible consumption means taking only what we truly need, meeting the mountain with respect. This is how a lasting balance is created.