How Vestre Will Build the World’s Greenest Furniture Factory
via Surface Magazine. Images courtesy Vestre and Bjarke Ingels Group
Known for manufacturing durable outdoor seating for public spaces in New York, London, and Paris, the Norwegian furniture brand Vestre has announced plans to build the world’s most eco-friendly furniture factory. Designed by Bjarke Ingels Group, the new development, called “The Plus” for its cross-like shape, aims to be an exemplar of sustainable architecture. Its energy requirement will be 90 percent lower than a conventional factory of the same size. It will also generate 50 percent less greenhouse gas emissions. The Plus, which will become the Nordic region’s first industrial building to achieve BREEAM Outstanding certification, will accomplish this in part by sourcing materials such as local timber and low-carbon concrete, as well as using an energy supply system that combines 1,200 solar panels and geothermal wells.
Building the factory is a crucial next step in Vestre’s ongoing mission to become the world’s most sustainable furniture manufacturer. “Man-made climate change is the greatest challenge of our time,” says Jan Christian Vestre, the company’s CEO. “I sincerely believe that everyone can save the planet, at least a little bit. Sustainability is a result of the choices we make every day.” The factory will sit at the halfway point between the brand’s Oslo headquarters and its Snøhetta-designed manufacturing plant in Torsby, Sweden. Additionally, all-electric Tesla trucks will shuttle between the three locations when the factory is fully up-and-running. Construction was slated to begin in August of 2020. However, an estimated completion date of the greenest furniture factory has not yet been announced.
Furthermore, the Plus is the largest investment in the Norwegian furniture industry for decades. The factory will be a global showcase for sustainability and highly efficient manufacturing. They hope to attract visitors from all over with spectacular architecture, a visitor centre, and a 300 acre park. In this way, Vestre hopes to inspire others to take part in the ‘green shift’.
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