Sustainability + Efficiency = The world’s most environmentally friendly furniture factory
Norwegian furniture manufacturer Vestre plans to build the world’s most environmentally friendly furniture factory, The Plus, at Magnor in Norway. The factory, which has been designed by Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), the world-famous Danish firm of architects, will be a global showcase for sustainable and highly efficient production.
Facts about The Plus
- The world’s most environmentally friendly furniture factory, located at Magnor in the Norwegian county of Innlandet.
- The factory is scheduled for completion in 2021/2022.
- This is the largest single investment in the Norwegian furniture industry for decades.
- Includes a visitor centre and a 30-hectare (74 acre) public park.
- The Plus will cut greenhouse gas emissions by at least 50 percent compared with similar conventional factories, and is therefore ‘Paris Proof’.
- The Plus will be the Nordic region's first industrial building to achieve the highest environmental classification, BREEAM Outstanding, partly through the use of solid wood and an emission-free construction site.
- The Plus will generate 250,000 kWh of renewable energy and reuse 90–95 % of the water used in production.
- Vestre Experience Center will cater for school visits and inspire more people to engage in the ‘green shift’.
- Vestre Forest Camp – a 30-hectare (74 acre) park filled with culture and adventure.
- The Plus will create 30–70 new jobs and will be a model for workplace inclusivity.
- The project is supported by Innovation Norway, the green energy agency Enova and Eidskog municipal council.
