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. Spectacular architecture, a visitor centre and a 300 acre park will also help to develop Magnor as an attractive destination for visitors from all over the world. In this way, Vestre will inspire others to take part in the ‘green shift’.
Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) is a Danish firm of architects, which was established in 2005. The company employs over 500 architects and designers in Copenhagen, New York, London, and Barcelona. BIG is described as one of the world’s most successful architectural firms, and Bjarke Ingels himself has been included in Time magazine’s list of 100 Most Influential People. Google's headquarters in California, USA; Lego House in Billund, Denmark; and the new Kistefos Museum at Jevnaker in Norway are among the buildings BIG has designed.
«With Vestre we have imagined a factory that is both front of house and back of house at the same time. Where the beauty of the factory is the way it is organized. It is the intersection of a road and a manufacturing plant – which creates this beautiful plus shape, this kind of propeller or pin wheel come together in a node where everything can be connected to everything.»
– Bjarke Ingels, Founder & Creative Director, BIG
What we aim to achieve
The Plus is so much more than a hypermodern furniture factory.
We have five goals for the project; you might call it our manifesto:
We plan to build The Plus in Magnor, which is located in the municipality of Eidskog, in the Norwegian county of Innlandet. Magnor has a fantastic history, that we want more people to experience. Therefore we are inviting people from all over the world to visit the Vestre Experience Centre and Vestre Forest Camp.
Vestre is one of Europe's foremost producers of sustainable furniture. What drives us is our desire to create social meeting places where people can come together in outdoor spaces – transcending social, cultural, and economic differences. When people come together, trust and community spirit arise. We call it everyday democracy.
