French luxury fashion house, Hermes has expanded its commitment to artisanal know-how and sustainable job creation by opening a new leather products workshop in Louviers, France, which will result in the creation of 280 new employment. There will be 260 leatherworkers, saddlers, and other employees working at the Maroquinerie de Louviers, the second leather goods center of the company in Normandy, in positions such as management, logistics, and human resources.

The artists will create saddles, bridles, saddles, and other small leather goods inside the workshop.

The 6,200 square meter workshop is a one-of-a-kind location for artists and was created by French Lebanese architect Lina Ghotmeh. It was built on an industrial brownfield site using more than 500,000 bricks made 70 miles away in Louviers, making it the first industrial structure to receive the French E4C2 classification.

Hermes will place a strong emphasis on working closely with neighborhood organizations, such as the Haras national du Pin stud, the Lycee Augustin-Boismard high school in Brionne, the Pole employment service, and the Greta de l'Eure adult education service.

In order to increase their versatility, artisans are trained in cutting and table work at the Louviers Ecole Hermes des savoir-faire, which opens in 2022. The oldest of Hermes' metiers, saddlery, is situated in the center of the building.

The location of the building maximizes natural ventilation and lighting, decreasing the need for artificial heating, cooling, and lighting. Geothermal energy is provided by 13 probes at a depth of 150 meters, and the workshop's energy independence is ensured by more than 2,300 square meters of solar panels.

By keeping most of the existing trees on the site and including a mechanism to recover and guide rainwater into the water table, the undulating gardens created by Belgian landscape architect Erik Dhont protect the local biodiversity. The workshop is a great illustration of Hermes' dedication to socially responsible behavior, local economic development, and environmental performance.