In the middle of a forest near Magnor, the Norwegian furniture company Vestre built what has been called the world's most environmentally friendly furniture factory. It opened in 2022, designed by the Danish architect Bjarke Ingels and his firm BIG.
The building is shaped like a plus sign, which gives it its name. Four wings radiate from a central courtyard: the colour factory, the wood factory, the assembly department, and the warehouse. Each wing has floor-to-ceiling windows facing the surrounding forest, so you can see the production lines from outside. The structure is built from locally sourced mass timber, low-carbon concrete, and 100 percent recycled reinforcement steel. It was the first industrial building in the world to receive a BREEAM Outstanding rating, the highest sustainability certification available.
What makes The Plus unusual for a factory is that the roof is open to the public year-round. Ramps and stairs let you walk up the sloping rooftop, looking down into the production halls below while the forest stretches out around you. Vestre makes the benches, chairs, and tables you see in public spaces across Scandinavia, and watching them being made here, surrounded by trees, is a surprisingly compelling experience. There is no entrance fee.
The building is shaped like a plus sign, which gives it its name. Four wings radiate from a central courtyard: the colour factory, the wood factory, the assembly department, and the warehouse. Each wing has floor-to-ceiling windows facing the surrounding forest, so you can see the production lines from outside. The structure is built from locally sourced mass timber, low-carbon concrete, and 100 percent recycled reinforcement steel. It was the first industrial building in the world to receive a BREEAM Outstanding rating, the highest sustainability certification available.
What makes The Plus unusual for a factory is that the roof is open to the public year-round. Ramps and stairs let you walk up the sloping rooftop, looking down into the production halls below while the forest stretches out around you. Vestre makes the benches, chairs, and tables you see in public spaces across Scandinavia, and watching them being made here, surrounded by trees, is a surprisingly compelling experience. There is no entrance fee.