Located within the forests of Magnor, Norway, The Plus, a furniture factory designed by BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group for Norwegian furniture manufacturer Vestre, has been recognised with the prestigious Royal Institute of British Architects International Award for Excellence 2026. The award celebrates architectural projects that demonstrate exceptional design quality, innovation, and global significance.
- BIG’s Forest Factory Shapes Future Manufacturing
- A Plus-Shaped Factory Designed Around Transparency
- Bringing Nature Into the Manufacturing Process
- Architecture Inspired by “Hedonistic Sustainability”
- A Factory Designed as a Public Landmark
- The Future of Manufacturing Through Architecture
- The Plus Project Details
Completed in 2022, The Plus challenges the conventional image of an industrial facility by merging a high-performance manufacturing centre with a public landscape. Designed as a transparent and accessible factory, the project demonstrates how industrial architecture can become a place for production, learning, and community engagement.
Spread across 7,000 m², the facility is located within a 300-acre public forest park, allowing visitors to experience the manufacturing process while exploring hiking trails, camping areas, and outdoor spaces integrated into the landscape.
BIG’s Forest Factory Shapes Future Manufacturing
Built for Vestre’s aim to create the world’s most environmentally responsible furniture factory, The Plus represents a shift in how manufacturing spaces can be designed and experienced. The project combines clean production methods, renewable energy systems, and low-impact materials to establish a new benchmark for sustainable industrial buildings.
Constructed in only 18 months, the factory uses locally sourced mass timber, low-carbon concrete, and recycled steel. It is the first industrial building in the Nordic region to achieve the highest environmental classification under the BREEAM Outstanding rating system.
The building is designed to generate approximately 50% fewer greenhouse gas emissions compared to a conventional factory. Its sustainability strategy includes photovoltaic panels, geothermal energy, rainwater collection, green roofs, electric transportation systems, and energy-efficient mechanical solutions. Around 900 solar panels installed on the rooftop contribute to the production of renewable energy, generating approximately 250,000 kWh annually.
A Plus-Shaped Factory Designed Around Transparency
The architectural concept of The Plus emerges from its distinctive cross-shaped plan. Four production halls, a warehouse, a colour factory, a wood factory, and an assembly unit radiate from a central intersection, creating the symbolic “plus” configuration.
This arrangement allows manufacturing processes to remain visible and interconnected while improving operational efficiency. Instead of separating production from visitors, BIG designed the factory as an open exhibition of furniture-making.
The interiors are organised through a vibrant colour-coded system, where the colours of machines extend onto the floors, transforming the factory into an intuitive visual map. Visitors moving through the building encounter different production stages as a sequence of colourful spaces, similar to navigating an industrial landscape of islands.
“Together with Vestre, we have imagined a factory that puts the entire process of furniture-making on open display—at center stage. Rather than fearing industrial espionage, the factory wants to show and share their knowledge to help accelerate the global transition towards sustainable manufacturing.” — Bjarke Ingels, Founder & Creative Director, BIG
Bringing Nature Into the Manufacturing Process
The Plus integrates itself into the surrounding landscape. Each production wing features an inclined roof corner, creating visual connections between the factory interiors and the surrounding woodland.
The sloping roofs extend into walking paths, allowing employees and visitors to move across the building while observing the manufacturing process below. These routes eventually lead to the green rooftop terrace, where the building becomes part of the forest environment.
An accessible ramp system ensures that visitors using wheelchairs and strollers can also experience the rooftop landscape and forest views.
The project’s landscape design extends beyond the building itself, with outdoor furniture installations distributed throughout the surrounding forest park. These interventions transform the site into a public destination rather than a restricted industrial zone.
Architecture Inspired by “Hedonistic Sustainability”
The Plus reflects BIG’s design philosophy of “Hedonistic Sustainability,” the idea that environmentally responsible architecture should improve human experiences rather than require compromise.
By combining productivity, ecological responsibility, and public engagement, the project presents a different vision for the future of factories: spaces that are efficient yet enjoyable, industrial yet connected to nature.
“The Plus seeks to explore and showcase how economic growth and ecological sustainability can go hand in hand… sustainable manufacturing is not only better for the environment but also more enjoyable for the people who practice it. A literal architectural manifestation of our philosophy of hedonistic sustainability.” — Bjarke Ingels, Founder & Creative Director, BIG
A Factory Designed as a Public Landmark
At the centre of The Plus, an exhibition space called the Vestre Energy and Clean Water Centre introduces visitors to renewable energy, water management, and circular design principles. A central courtyard acts as both a social gathering space and an observation point overlooking the production halls.
The open layout allows workers, visitors, and collaborators to share the same environment, reinforcing Vestre’s belief in transparency and knowledge exchange.
According to Vestre CEO Bjørn Fjellstad, the project challenges traditional perceptions of factories by creating a place where “architecture, people, nature, and industry come together.”
The Future of Manufacturing Through Architecture
With its combination of sustainable construction, renewable energy systems, and public accessibility, The Plus demonstrates how industrial buildings can move beyond their traditional role as production facilities.
Recognised by the RIBA International Award for Excellence 2026, the project represents a growing movement towards factories that are efficient, environmentally responsible, socially engaging, and architecturally significant.
By placing manufacturing within the landscape rather than separating it from nature, BIG and Vestre present The Plus as a model for the factories of the future—where industry becomes a visible, shared, and sustainable part of everyday life.
The Plus Project Details
Project Name: The Plus
Architect: BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group
Client: Vestre
Location: Gaustadvegen, Magnor, Norway
Area: 7,000 m²
Construction Period: August 2020 – June 2022
Award: RIBA International Award for Excellence 2026
Photographs by Einar Aslaksen & Abrakadabra Studio / Renders by BIG
