Norwegian outdoor furniture manufacturer Vestre has moved into The Plus, its new factory in Magnor, Norway, designed by Bjarke Ingels Group. The 75,000-square-foot (7,000-square-meter) factory was built in 18 months and claims to be the world’s most environmentally-friendly furniture factory.

BIG’s scheme is divided into four production areas (the Color Factory, the Wood Factory, Assembly, and Warehouse), placed in four orthogonal wings. A circular courtyard sits at the heart of the scheme, surrounded by a visitor center.

The factory seeks to become the first project of its kind in the world to achieve a BREEAM Outstanding rating. The building’s energy consumption is 60% lower than comparable factories, with 55% lower greenhouse gas emissions. A green rooftop accommodates 900 solar panels, while between 90% and 95% of the water used within the facility will be reused.

The factory roof is covered in natural forest vegetation in addition to the solar array, creating an elevated public space. Below, large windows in all four wings give visitors a glimpse of the manufacturing process, in addition to bird's-eye views from the roof. The scheme is also unique for industrial factories by not incorporating any fences, borders, or confidential premises zones, part of the group’s mission of creating “the world’s most open and transparent factory.”

“The task of creating a sustainable, accessible, colorful production facility with a public park felt like designing a whole new typology,” said Viktoria Millentrup, Project Lead, BIG. “Manufacturing facilities are still thought of as fenced-off buildings polluting the environment. I am excited that The Plus is a prototype for the green transition, proving that manufacturing can be sustainable, social, local, and profitable at the same time — and raising the all-important question: What would happen to the planet if all industrial buildings followed this concept?”

News of the scheme comes weeks after BIG also saw the opening of its Google Bay HQ campus, jointly designed with Heatherwick Studio. Also in May, the firm was successful in its bid to design a new philharmonic hall in Prague and a food tech hub in Spain, the latter of which saw competition from OMA, Snøhetta, and other major firms.

In April, updated designs emerged for BIG’s floating city in Busan, South Korea, while the firm was also selected as the winner of a major research center competition in Seville for the European Commission.