About Vestre
Vestre is a Norwegian manufacturer of urban furniture. For more than 70 years, we have helped create social meeting places for millions of people.
There is much talk about the triple bottom line, recording social and environmental, as well as financial results. We are happy to join in, and for a long time we have followed this motto: Everyone can save the world. A little. We have made long term sustainability a prerequisite in all parts of our operations. To be more specific, we have tied this commitment to nine of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals.
Make things that won't break
What is best for the environment can also make the most sense financially. We are well aware that other manufacturers offer outdoor furniture at a lower initial cost than us. But in the long term, taking product lifetime into account, we believe we are unbeatable.
An anti-throwaway-attitude
An anti-throwaway-attitude is central to our philosophy. We make products that will last a long time, that can be repaired if they break, and we offer spare parts without a time limit.
What is best for the environment can also make the most sense financially. We are well aware that other manufacturers offer outdoor furniture at a lower initial cost than us. But in the long term, taking product lifetime into account, we believe we are unbeatable.
In the 1950s, Vestre manufactured park benches for the town hall of Haugesund, the coastal town in Norway where the company was founded. They are still in use.
Build an industry for the future
It is possible to operate a profitable manufacturing firm in Scandinavia. It is possible to build a business based on longevity and sustainability. It is possible to self-generate sufficient solar power for all operations. It is possible to phase out materials that are harmful to the environment.
“Everything is possible for Our Lord and a mechanic.” With this motto, Johannes Vestre founded a small machine shop in the Norwegian town of Haugesund in 1947. After seven decades, all our manufacturing still takes place in Norway and Sweden, and our future goals are more ambitious than ever.
We source local materials for our products, partly for environmental reasons and partly to ensure quality. Scandinavian pine is harder and better suited for outdoor furniture than wood from warmer climates. Nordic steel is produced with 30 per cent lower emissions than average, when compared to steel from other countries.
High-quality Nordic steel and aluminium
Vestre uses high-quality Nordic steel and aluminium that are sourced as locally as possible. The global steel industry is responsible for 7% of the world’s climate gas emissions. Climate gas emissions from steel production in the Nordic countries are 30% below average.
High-quality Nordic steel and aluminium
Vestre uses high-quality Nordic steel and aluminium that are sourced as locally as possible. The global steel industry is responsible for 7% of the world's greenhouse gas emissions. Greenhouse gas emissions from steel production in the Nordic countries are 30% below average. This is made possible by state-of-the-art production plants and the high proportion of renewable energy used in production. Vestre furniture is solidly built and can withstand extensive wear and tear and use for many years. The steel we use is between 3 and 16 mm thick (1/8 and 5/8 of an inch). Steel plates and tubes are cut using advanced laser machines, which are extremely accurate and minimise resource wastage. Welding is carried out both manually and using automated robots. All components are processed and assembled with a view to achieving optimal strength and durability.
Sustainable timber
For our furniture we use high-quality PEFC-certified pine from Norway and Sweden (Pinus sylvestris).
Sustainable timber
For our furniture we use high-quality PEFC-certified pine from Norway and Sweden (Pinus sylvestris). Owing to the cold climate the trees grow slowly and can only be felled after 80–120 years. This means that Scandinavian pine is harder and more suitable for outdoor furniture than pine from warmer areas, which generally grows 3–5 times faster. Scandinavian pine has a hardness of 2–2.5 on the Brinell scale. Scandinavian forestry is amongst the most sustainable forestry in the world. The felling of virgin forest is prohibited by law and, consequently, timber production in Scandinavia has doubled over the last hundred years, with an annual increase in stock of 10%. Vestre's timber is impregnated with natural linseed oil which offers lasting protection against rot and virtually maintenance-free use. After some time outdoors, the surface will develop a grey patina.
Hot-dip galvanisation
All steel components are hot-dip galvanised in a bath of liquid zinc at 450°C. Vestre uses Norwegian zinc with 98.98% purity. This process produces an anti-rust coating that enables our products to remain outdoors for several decades. It is carried out in accordance with the strict environmental requirements defined in ISO 1461.
Vestre standard, self-healing sink
If the surface is damaged, hot-dip products repair themselves by shrinking the zinc and forming a new coating in the damaged area. This is called cathodic protection.
International standard, powder-coated steel
When the powder-coated surface is damaged, the steel will rust and the rust will spread under the lacquer. Then bubbles that you often see on older cars will arise and eventually burst so that the rust becomes visible.
Hot-dip galvanisation
All steel components used by Vestre are hot-dip galvanised in a liquid zinc bath at 450 °C / 840 °F. The bath is exclusively heated using renewable energy, meaning zero emission of harmful greenhouse gases. This process provides a rust-free coating (80–120 μ) that enables Vestre's products to remain outdoors for several decades. Around 2–4 μ of the coating is lost in the first year as a consequence of use and climate impact and then the loss decreases to 1–2 μ per year. This guarantees a lifespan of at least 30–40 years outdoors. Steel that is powder-coated after hot-dip galvanising will have an even longer lifespan, as the powder coating protects the zinc. If the surface is damaged, hot-dip galvanised products repair themselves through the zinc contracting and forming a new coating in the damaged area. This is called cathodic protection. Hot-dip galvanising is a method that was patented by the French engineer Sorel in 1837, and which these days is carried out in accordance with the strict environmental requirements defined in ISO 1461. Zinc (Zn) is an important renewable construction material that occurs naturally in stone, water and human beings.
Powder-coating
The powder-coating process was developed to satisfy the tough requirements of the Norwegian offshore industry. The finish must be of very high quality and also conform to corrosion class C5-M (EN 12944).
Vestre offers more than 200 standard RAL classic colours at no extra charge.
Powder coating
Before Vestre's products are powder coated, they are subject to extensive cleaning and processing in multiple phases. This process takes place in a series of immersion tanks and comprises degreasing, purified water and activators. The powder coating does not contain any solvents and is applied electrostatically through sophisticated nozzles. The powder is then melted in an automatic curing oven that gives the product its final appearance. The process was developed for the Norwegian offshore industry to ensure a very high finish that meets the strict requirements of Corrosion Class C5 (coastal areas with high salinity).
LT = Lifespan in years
LZn = Estimated lifespan of zinc plating exposed to the environment in question
LM = Estimated lifespan of lacquer coating exposed to the environment in question, if applied directly to steel
K = environmentally-dependent synergy factor, which can be set at:
1.5: for exposure in Environment Class C5
1.6 – 2.0: for exposure in Environment Class C3 – C4
2.1 – 2.3: for exposure in Environment Class C2
Example: a product surface treated with Vestre’s Duplex technology and exposed to Environment Class C5, will have a lifespan of more than 80 years*: * (=1.5*(40 years + 15 years)
Vestre’s unique surface treatment consists of wet zinc and powder coating. This process ensures a considerably longer lifespan than that obtained by separate systems.
The lifespan can be calculated by this formula:
LT = K(LZN + LM)
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Corrosion Class (EN ISO 12944) Examples |
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| C1 Heated buildings | |
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C2
Outdoors in inland areas or in warehouses where condensation may occur |
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| C3 Outdoors in coastal climates with little salt content or indoors in production facilities with high humidity levels | |
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C4
Outdoors in coastal climates with moderate salt content or in indoor swimming pools |
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| C5–I Outdoors in coastal climates with high salt content | |
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C5-M (Vestre Standard) Outdoors in coastal climates with high salt content, high humidity levels, and aggressive atmospheric corrosion |
Assembly and quality control
Vestre’s furniture is delivered more or less ready-assembled from the factory.
Only screws and attachments made from stainless or acid-resistant steel are used. The assembly process takes place both manually and by using robot technology. Prior to packaging and transport the products are subjected to a thorough quality check in order to ensure that they comply with our strict craft and finishing requirements.
Vestre will have emission-free internal transport by 2020. We have already implemented new generation biodiesel and are going to transition to electricity. We are one of the first companies in Norway to order the Tesla Semi, which has a range of 800 km.
We demand 100% renewable energy throughout the supply chain, and plan to be self-sufficient in energy by 2025. In the course of 2018 alone, we installed 600 solar panels on our factory roofs, and will gradually be able to feed surplus energy back into the grid.
Nine years ago, we became the first climate-neutral outdoor furniture manufacturer in the world, and we have set ourselves a target of zero climate gas emissions. Between 2014 and 2016, we cut our CO2 emissions by nearly 40% in relation to production value. We still generate climate gas emissions equivalent to 2,500 cars a year, however. We compensate for this by funding rainforest conservation in Papua New Guinea.
We are working for long-term industrial development through a project that aims to create value chains for collecting and recycling ocean plastic. This is a joint undertaking with Fjordfiesta and Ope.
Total electricity production
161 177 649 Wh
Output now
0 Wh
Production today
0 Wh
We demand 100% renewable energy throughout the supply chain, and plan to be self-sufficient in energy by 2025. In the course of 2018 alone, we installed 600 solar panels on our factory roofs, and will gradually be able to feed surplus energy back into the grid.
Be a part of something bigger
Global solidarity. Two very big words, but words that have a tangible meaning for us at Vestre. We can even quantify it. Every year, we give 10% of our profits to outside sustainability measures, and if all Norwegian companies had done the same, the business community would have contributed in excess of NOK 6 billion more than the entire aid budget. As we say, everyone can save the world a little.
3 500 CHILDREN AT SCHOOL
Knowledge trumps everything. We therefore support UNICEF by giving up to 3,500 children in areas of conflict the chance to attend school. In Scandinavia, we offer grants for newly qualified designers and cooperate with local vocational colleges on internships.
EVERYONE CAN CONTRIBUTE
We offer job training for people with gaps in their CV and no access to the ordinary labour market, including through cooperation with the Church City Mission charity. We now plan to offer microloans and knowledge transfer for people in developing countries. This will enable more people to set up their own small business, just like Johannes Vestre did in 1947. Vestre was the first furniture manufacturer to join IEH - Ethical Trading Initiative Norway, and we have strict requirements for all our suppliers regarding human rights, labour rights and sustainable development.
OPERATING ROOM FOR 700 PATIENTS
In order to reduce health inequalities in the world, we cooperate with Doctors Without Borders on funding an operating theatre in the field that can treat up to 700 people a year.
Make the Nordic way the global way
The public right of access has a long tradition in the Scandinavian countries when it comes to outdoor recreation. But it is also a cornerstone for urban development. We take it for granted that urban spaces belong to everyone, and this is a mindset that seems to be taking hold internationally.
We have found that the Nordic way of urban planning can be a valuable export proposal. To us, this confirms that focusing on meeting places instead of just outdoor furniture has been a sensible strategy. We are happy to see that our solutions are in growing demand internationally.
Today, Vestre`s solutions can be found in many places around the world, among them New York's Times Square, King's Cross in London and Forum des Halles in Paris.
Please take a seat!
Design everything
As cities keep growing, living conditions are getting more cramped. To us, this means that design must encompass much more than pure aesthetics. We collaborate with renowned Scandinavian designers, and it is equally important for our products to look good, serve a practical function, and cause the least possible impact on the environment.
Our designers
Our design philosophy affects the products all the way from conception to completion and placement. We give free rein to designers in the concept development phase, where they often collaborate closely with landscape architects and other planners.
Nordic design includes a social element – the notion that design should be accessible to everyone. This is the reason why we always refuse to do hostile design, like benches with spikes to prevent people from lying down.
Being recognised is a great inspiration for further innovation. In 1987, our bench Hvilan was the first outdoor furniture ever to win the prestigious Norwegian Award for Design and Architecture. Since then our solutions have won numerous awards all over the world.
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«My objective is to design products that enrich the user in everyday life and last for generations.»
Kristine Five Melvær holds Masters degrees in Industrial Design from the Oslo School of Architecture and Design (AHO) and Visual Communication from the Oslo National Academy of the Arts (KHiO). Melvær creates furniture, lighting, tableware, textile objects and graphic design. She has won a number of prizes in both her disciplines.
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«Good outdoor furniture reflects the architecture and the landscape - almost like an echo.»
Industrial designer Espen Voll qualified at the Oslo School of Architecture and Design and the Rietveld Academy in Amsterdam. He is the former founder of Norway Says. He is currently a partner and designer at Anderssen & Voll. He has received a considerable number of national and international awards, including the Wallpaper Award, the IF Award and an Honorary Award for Best Design in Norway.
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«Design is perpetual motion which adds energy to a process when new ideas are born, constantly resulting in innovative products. Doing something new always involves a certain amount of risk, but without new solutions no energy would be added and at best you would risk repeating yourself until all the energy has been lost»
Since completing his studies at the Institute of Industrial Design (Aho) in 1989, industrial designer Johan Verde has run his own design studio in Oslo. During this period he has designed and made a wide range of products in various product categories and materials and there is a common thread which links all his works, constituting an integral whole despite their variations and tremendous range.
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«City life is dynamic. People are looking for new ways to experience the city. As new spaces are explored new needs and opportunities for creative design and exciting development unfold.»
SOLA develops solutions for landscapes, urban spaces and urban forms that prioritize people, nature and the interaction between them. We look at sustainable, functional, user-friendly and attractive urban and landscape spaces as fundamental in people’s lives and as the basis for living cities and towns.Our goal is to create innovative and inspiring outdoor areas designed across traditional boundaries between different design and discipline disciplines, adding new dimensions to the way we appreciate and participate in public spaces. SOLA was started by Ole Rydningen and Ashley Conn in 2015.
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Folk are developed by the well-known Swedish design studio Front, which has designed products for Vitra, Mooi and Offecct and which has some of its works on display at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
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Has been running her own design studio in Stockholm since 2007. Her design is characterized by simplicity and with the user in focus.
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"Everything begins with Quality. - With big Q. »
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«Outdoor spaces are the largest spaces. They should be designed in order to connect people to nature and the urban environment.»
Furniture designer Einar Smette-Blålid qualified at the Oslo National Academy of Arts. He obtained a Master’s degree in furniture design in 2007. Mr. Smette-Blålid received an Award for Design Excellence in 2010 for the DIALOG litter bin which he and Allan Hagerup designed for Vestre AS.
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«Our products reflect the strict requirements relating to aesthetics and functionality which are expected of products delivered by Vestre.»
Qualified as a mechanical engineer in England. Partner at Designpartnership AS, along with Jahn Aamodt and Jarle Slyngstad. Vestre’s City range, which he designed with Aamodt and Slyngstad in 1990, is still in production after 24 years.
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«Good designs provide good, simple answers to complex questions. The aesthetics of design emerge from the simplicity of the solution.»
Furniture designer Jarle Slyngstad submitted his diploma paper to the Oslo National Academy of Arts in 1985. Just one year later he received an Award for Design Excellence. Vestre’s City range, which he designed with Aadmodt and Friddaman in 1990, is still in production after 24 years. These products confirm the designer’s concept of life as being the most important environmental factor.
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«Good industrial design is primarily all about ensuring that products reach users who will be happy with them over time.»
Geir Øxseth is a qualified industrial designer and engineer. He is interested in designs which involve organic shapes which will visually stand over time in functional products with a high utilitarian value. Mr. Øxseth has received five Awards for Design Excellence as well as a Design Effect Award for designs which create added value.
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«Get the job done within the agreed framework and you'll win the confidence of your client, get more projects and achieve greater freedom.»
Bjarne Peter Aasen is a Norwegian landscape architect with a long list of accolades. In 2004 he received Norsk Form’s Commendation Award for his contribution towards the development of Norwegian landscape architecture and public spaces in Norway.
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«Design should unite and it must have a personality. It must have a duration and function which will satisfy the requirements of its users, manufacturers and society.»
Jahn Aamodt is a member of NID (the Norwegian Association of Industrial Designers) and an Interior Architect MNIL (member of the Norwegian Association of Interior Architects). He qualified as an industrial designer at Industridesignerutdanningen in Oslo in 1980, and as an interior architect/furniture designer at the National College of Art and Design in 1976.
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«Outdoor spaces are the most important architectural arena. It is between our houses that we find our democratic society.»
Landscape architect Lars Jørstad Nordbye has worked for Snøhetta since 2000 and in this capacity he has been involved in designing many outdoor spaces. BØY was created as a location-specific piece of furniture for the Bjølsen student village in 2001, but has subsequently been used in a number of other outdoor space.
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«When designing outdoor furniture we strive to achieve a simple design expression with the emphasis on good details and sturdy materials.»
Smedsvig Landskapsarkitekter AS possesses interdisciplinary experience of cooperation, where the design and decoration of buildings and landscapes is addressed in an integrated process when designing open spaces, squares, streets, esplanades, schools, nurseries and parks. Our furniture designs are one result of this.
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«Furniture in public spaces can serve as utility articles which are simply there, year after year without making much of a statement. However, every now and then urban furniture provides us with something a bit more unexpected such »
Ola Bettum qualified as a landscape architect and town planner at the University of Ås and the Oslo School of Architecture and Design. He is a professor at the Institute of Landscape Architecture in Ås, runs IN’BY AS in Oslo and is a keen urban cyclist.
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"Good industrial design is mainly about ease of use, the rest is aesthetics, price and ecology."
Product developer Kai W. Moe holds the Diploma In Art & Design from the Bath Academy of Art in England (1972) and the Diploma from the ID Education in Oslo (1981). Moe delivered the drawings to the Hvilan series, which won Vestres' first Good Design Award in 1987.
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«The main intention of my work is to help define industrial design activity as a vital force in the field of urban design.»
Artur Wozniak qualified at the Oslo School of Architecture and Design, the SHKS (the Norwegian College of Art and Design) – Institute of Industrial Design – Diploma 1987, and the Academy of Art in Krakow. He is most well known for projects relating to public spaces: Oslo Sporveier, Publicus, Urban – Award for Design Excellence 1996, Via and Acceptor.
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«Outdoor furniture becomes interesting when it balances functionality, human interaction and environments.»
Hong Ngo-Aandal graduated from Central Saint Martins in 2004. He has worked for El Ultimo Grito and Barber Osgerby in London. In Norway he has worked for several well-known Norwegian companies. He is interested in pushing the boundaries for outdoor furniture.
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«Great design is about creating something that has an emotional, aesthetic and functional appeal and achieving the right balance between these values.»
Kristin Schanche is a Partner & Studio Director at Hareide Design, one of Norway’s most well-known industrial design studios. The studio’s work has received multiple awards from the Norwegian Design Council, the German Red Dot Award, Red Dot Best of The Best Award and the German iF-Design Gold Award and has been internationally recognised by museums such as The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), the Indianapolis Museum of Art (IMA) and the Norwegian Museum of Decorative Arts and Design in Oslo.
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«Design has no special value in itself. Only in the interplay which exists between people can a product or project be either good or bad.»
Hallvard Jakobsen qualified at the SHKS (Norwegian College of Art and Design) – Interior and Design Department – and received a diploma for industrial designer studies in Oslo in 1981. In addition to undertaking work for private companies he has worked on public design for a number of organisations such as NSB (the Norwegian State Railways), the University of Oslo, Oslo Sporveier and Statsbygg.
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"Although design is an idea subject and not a craft subject, this has been important to me in managing the transformation from idea to physical object. ”
Andersen graduated from Bergen Academy of the Arts in 2002. Together with Andreas Engesvik and Espen Voll he started the design group Norway Says in 1999. Torbjørn Anderssen has participated in a number of international exhibitions through Norway Says, including "100% Norway" in London, as well as exhibitions in Tokyo, New York, Milan and Stockholm. As a group, Norway Says has received a number of awards, including the Swedish Bruno Mathsson Prize in 2004
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«If you are going to leave a "footprint" in your surroundings, it should create a positive experience. »
Interior architect/furniture designer Michael Olofsson qualified in 1993 at the Danish College of Design in Copenhagen and the Oslo College of Art and Handicrafts.
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«I just try to carry out my design assignments to the best of my ability within the framework provided. And I remind myself that "God is in the details" (Ludwig Mies van der Rohe).»
Furniture designer Tore Borgersen graduated from the Oslo College of Arts and Handicrafts in 1997. He specialised in industrial furniture design at the Royal College of Art in London, 1995.
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“Design is a process where you go from complicated to immediately understandable and intuitive. In other words, design is complicated, but the result is simple. ”
Atle Tveit is furniture designer MNIL with a master's degree from the School of Arts and Design in Bergen. He has won several awards for his work, and develops furniture for leading furniture manufacturers both independently and in collaboration with other designers. His design often consists of clear lines, which give the product a minimalist and distinctive character, exemplified in the outdoor furniture series BLOC and AIR for Vestre.
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«I believe that outdoor furniture provides us with a meeting place between people, nature and architecture. As a designer I allow this relationship to inspire the shape, materials and quality of a product.»
Furniture designer Allan Hagerup qualified at the Oslo National Academy of Arts. His 2007 Master’s project in furniture design resulted in the DIALOG bench and litter bin, which won the Norwegian Design Council’s Award for Design Excellence in 2010. Since then Mr. Hagerup has devoted his work to designing products for outdoor environments.
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«Urban spaces should be humanly designed, politically engaged, financially viable, structurally realistic, and of course, skatable!»
Julien De Smedt is the founder and director of JDS Architects and co-founder of Makers With Agendas. His designs and architecture have received worldwide recognition and numerous awards.
Contact us
Do not hesitate to contact us with any questions. We also have open offices / showrooms, so feel free to drop in for a chat.
Tel. + 44 (0)7780 770945