The world’s most eco-friendly furniture factory to be built in Norway
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The factory, which will run on 1,200 solar panels and geothermal wells, is expected to generate 50 per cent fewer greenhouse gas emissions than a conventional factory
Spotted: Danish architecture studio BIG has released designs for what they claim to be the world’s most eco-friendly furniture factory.
Set to be built within a forest near the village of Magnor in the east of Norway, the development was created for furniture manufacturer Vestre to be an exemplar of sustainable architecture. According to BIG, it will generate 50 per cent fewer greenhouse gas emissions than a conventional equivalent-sized factory and will likely be the first industrial project in the Nordic region to gain a BREEAM outstanding environmental rating.
Named The Plus, the 6,501-square-metre factory takes its name from its cross shape. It will consist of four green-roof-covered wings: the furniture manufacturer’s warehouse, colour factory, wood factory and the assembly area. It will also include a visitor centre and a 300-acre park.
The building will be constructed from local timber and low-carbon concrete with recycled reinforcement steel. Materials will be moved between the facilities by a fleet of all-electric Tesla trucks and information will be displayed about the carbon footprint of every product.
Vestre CEO, Jan Christian Vestre said they were the first furniture brand in the world to publish carbon information on a product range. “We’re doing it because we want to be really open and transparent,” he said. “I would like to say that clients are actually demanding it, but they aren’t yet.”
The building’s energy will be supplied by a system that combines 1,200 solar panels and geothermal wells, while surplus heat created during the production process will be used to heat the building. As a result, energy requirements will be 90 per cent lower than a factory of the same dimensions according to BIG.
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