Historic building materials for sustainable construction

Engel & Völkers Schleswig-Holstein: Dear Mr. Gostomsky, we look forward to learning more about your exciting business! Let's start at the beginning: How did the idea for Sölstiin-Persch come about?

Uwe Gostomsky: In 2018, we came up with the idea of setting up a trade in historical building materials, as it was becoming increasingly difficult to get exactly the right materials. The partners themselves work on Sylt. Hence the name: "Söl" for Sylt and "Stiin" for stone. The partners decided to relocate to Enge-Sande. Here, a showroom was equipped with natural stone floors and historical materials. There were offices, large outdoor areas for storage and a warehouse and production hall. Many customers were acquired. in 2020, the partners bought the Persch company premises. Shortly afterwards, they also bought the entire company, which had been successfully trading in historic building materials for many years. This allowed the expertise of the two companies to be combined and strengthened. The result was Sölstiin-Persch GmbH & Co KG.

Engel & Völkers Schleswig-Holstein: The topic of sustainability has become much more important in recent years, from everyday shopping to house building. Sustainability and recycling are virtually always included in your products. Where do your products come from and how do you decide which building materials get a second life?

Uwe Gostomsky: Our products are actually in line with the growing demands for sustainability and recycling. We obtain our materials from various sources, including recycled building materials and sustainably sourced resources. Our focus is on using raw materials that have a minimal environmental impact while ensuring the high quality and durability of our products.

The decision as to which historic bricks are given a second life is made by carefully selecting and evaluating the bricks and their history and properties. The bricks come from demolished buildings. First, the stones are tested for their structural integrity and suitability for reuse. Factors such as the quality of the material, any damage and the possibility of cleaning play a role here. In an elaborate process, all stones are individually "cleaned" and then sorted so that we can offer different colors, mixtures, formats and qualities.

Engel & Völkers Schleswig-Holstein: Have you been able to sense the trend towards greater sustainability in your company too? Is there a growing interest in sustainable and recycled building materials?

Uwe Gostomsky: Yes, the market demands it. We can often even offer our bricks at a lower price than new bricks. This is simply because the production of new facing bricks is very energy-intensive. Especially with today's energy costs, this plays a major role. And visually, a house with a historic facing brick façade is also much more appealing than a new industrial product.

Engel & Völkers Schleswig-Holstein: From wall tiles to brick and natural stone to flooring and wood - your product range is very broad and leaves little to be desired. Which products are particularly popular with your customers? Has this changed over the years and do you see new trends in the requests for certain products, for example?

Uwe Gostomsky: Yes, the trend is towards natural stone tiles in the home and also for garden design. Ecology also plays a major role here. The extraction and processing is comparatively environmentally friendly compared to porcelain stoneware. The natural stone is extracted from the quarry with little effort and processed quickly and easily depending on the intended use. There is no waste, as offcuts are sorted out and processed into crushed stone or gravel, for example. Last but not least, quarries that are no longer used are renaturalized.

Engel & Völkers Schleswig-Holstein: What developments do you see in the future for historic building materials and their use in construction projects?

Uwe Gostomsky: In the future, we expect an increased appreciation and use of historic building materials in construction projects. This development will be driven by a growing awareness of sustainability and the preservation of cultural heritage.

We will also see an increased integration of historic building materials in modern architectural projects. Designers and architects will increasingly look for ways to incorporate historical elements into contemporary buildings to create a unique aesthetic appeal and at the same time establish a connection to the past.

Engel & Völkers Schleswig-Holstein: What has been your personal highlight so far in working with these historic materials? A particular project or perhaps a very special building material that you have "rescued" and worked with?

Uwe Gostomsky: I would say: there is not the "one highlight", but the totality represents the highlight, dealing with the clients, traveling through Europe and constantly looking out for hidden places to find the beautiful things, to then refurbish them in our place and finally find them again in the later new building project.

Engel & Völkers Schleswig-Holstein: Thank you very much, dear Mr. Gostomsky, and good luck for the future!

Sölstiin-Persch GmbH & Co. KG
An der B5 No.11
25920 Risum-Lindholm
Email: info@soelstiin.de
Phone: +49 (0) 4661 - 5111
www.sölstiin.de/
Opening hours
Monday - Friday 9:00 to 17:00