The Plus is featured in the new series ‘The Spaces That Shape Us’
The World Green Building Council (WGBC) presents its second branded series, ‘The Spaces That Shape Us’, a series that explores how architecture and design impact both our own wellbeing and that of the planet. The series consists of nine self-contained branded films and an article from global organizations that highlight stories of innovation in architecture and design. Our factory, The Plus, the world’s most environmentally friendly furniture factory, is one of them.
Designing for the future
We spend 90% of our time indoors, yet we don’t always consider how spaces affect our health, well-being and the planet. As the global population grows and work patterns shift, re-evaluating our living spaces is becoming increasingly important. Amid our efforts to accommodate diverse human needs, we face an even greater challenge: addressing the climate crisis and its threat to our shared home.
The Spaces That Shape Us is a striking new branded series presented by the World Green Building Council and produced for them by BBC StoryWorks Commercial Productions. Filmed in eight different locations from Colombia to Hong Kong, the series takes audiences on a global odyssey, shifting perceptions of what buildings can be by unearthing how they shape our lives and the world around us. Through ten mesmerizing stories, the series explores the neighbourhoods of the world, from a school with a grass roof and a factory in the heart of a Norwegian forest, to an estate of energy-efficient homes. By rooting the series in the real spaces in which we live, learn and work, the incredible ideas and creativity of architects and designers are shared in an immersive and authentic way, told through the tangible experiences of real families, communities and experts who are redesigning the future.
This series taps into key themes relating to buildings, like social consciousness and the ways in which we work, while at the same time exploring the wider question of how to balance human progress without costing the Earth.
The Plus creates green growth
The Plus in Magnor, Norway, which opened in 2022, is designed to achieve BREEAM Outstanding certification. It is proof that green growth is possible; in other words, that the industry can be part of the solution, and that it is possible to create new jobs and economic growth while also protecting the climate and environment and managing the world’s natural resources sustainably.
Together, Bjarke Ingels Group BIG and Vestre have created an entirely new typology, where people, production, technology, architecture and nature are completely integrated with each other. The building’s energy consumption is 60 percent lower than that of similar conventional factories, while also emitting 55 percent less greenhouse gases than comparable factory structures. This means that we are surpassing the goals of the Paris Agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent by 2030. In this factory, we produce furniture to create social meeting places worldwide. All our products are designed to last for decades too.
“People today don’t only want to work being inspired by just an economic pursuit. They need to be inspired by something bigger as well. It’s more than just a factory. It’s basically our very own building of dreams,” says Bjørn Fjellstad, CEO at Vestre.
Learn more about The Spaces That Shape us and all the inspiring stories worldwide here.