Who has contributed to building the world's most environmentally friendly furniture factory, The Plus?

Our objective has been to create a smart, unique and transparent furniture factory, and thereby help raise the level of interest in design, industry, technology and sustainable production. We wanted to show that it is possible to build a ground-breaking industrial project, while at the same time creating green, profitable jobs, in a high-cost country like Norway.

Over 100 partners

Key figures for The Plus and an overview of all the parties involved:
No factory building like The Plus has ever been built before. The new development at Magnor is creating many new jobs and its benefits are already rippling out not only across the municipality of Eidskog, but also across the entire Kongsvinger region, not least because Vestre is using many local contractors and suppliers. A total of 20 consultancy firms and around 80 contractors and suppliers have helped ensure that the construction project was completed in 18 months.

The project was designed to establish new technology and challenging architecture, and satisfy the very strictest environmental and energy requirements—in order to become the world’s first furniture factory to achieve the very highest environmental certification, BREEAM Outstanding. The prerequisite for success was to bring in the best consulting firms, contractors and suppliers across all disciplines.

Completed: 2022

• In week 7 2022, the installation team moved from the Vestre Steel Factory to The Plus Assembly.
• On 17 March 2022, a protocol was signed and the handing over of the keys celebrated with a The Plus cake from Ingelsrud konditori.
• On 3 June 2022, the opening of The Plus was officially celebrated with an event that was open to the public. Test production was conducted at Wood Factory and Color Factory , and the machinery park was declared operational.

Learn more about the construction process.

  • Key figures for The Plus and an overview of all the parties involved

    Construction owner: The Plus AS (the Vestre Group)
  • Architect/LARC/structural engineer: BIG Bjarke Ingels Group ApS
  • Design and construction management: Fokus Rådgivning AS
  • Floor space: 7,000 m2
  • Workforce: 38 (September 2022), dimensioned for up to 70 full-time equivalents)
  • Budget: NOK 340,000,000
  • Vestres AS investment of equity: NOK 90 million. Added costs for building in an environmentally friendly manner in order to obtain BREEAM-NOR Outstanding certification: NOK 60 million
  • Financing: Danske Bank, Eksfin (GIEK)
  • Building economics: Bygganalyse AS
  • Main contractor Ø.M. Fjeld AS
  • Groundworks: Melby Maskin AS
  • Mass timber and glulam: Woodcon AS, Moelven Limtre AS, Stora Enso AB
  • Electrical engineering: Minel AS

Supported by:

Innovation Norway: The Plus applied to Innovation Norway for support totalling NOK 27.4 million, split between investments in machinery and equipment amounting to NOK 22.9 million (the final grant instalment was received in July 2022) and investments in competence development and training amounting to NOK 4.5 million. The first grant instalment of NOK 1,350,540 has been received (as of October 2022).

Enova: The Plus applied to Enova for support for climate and energy measures, and the applications were approved, leading to NOK 8.3 million being awarded (the final grant instalment was received in July 2022).

Eidskog municipality: Eidskog municipality has invested a total of NOK 25 million in connection with the establishment of The Plus, and Vestre is leasing a small part of this area at a market rent. The host municipality is aiding with the development of infrastructure in connection with the establishment of a factory. Vestre AS has fully repaid NOK 13.7 million of the municipality's NOK 25 million total investment. Read the municipality’s article (NO): Eidskog kommunes investering i Vestre AS og "The Plus" på Magnor (2022).

Consultancy, early phase: Klosser Innovasjon, Siva

Consultants to the developer:

  • Consulting engineer for electrical engineering: Foyn Consult AS
  • Consulting engineer for HVAC and sanitation: Multiconsult
  • ITB coordinator: Evotek
  • Building economics (early phase): Bygganalyse
  • Consulting engineer for acoustics: Brekke & Strand
  • Consulting engineer for HVAC and sanitation developer: Erichsen & Horgen AS (Consulting engineer for energy and daylight)

Consultants:

  • Consulting engineer for construction: BIG Engineering
  • Consulting engineer for construction (local follow-up): Bollinger + Grohmann
  • Consulting engineer for construction, timber: Woodcon
  • Consulting engineer for electrical engineering: Ing. Hallås
  • Consulting engineer for HVAC and sanitation, plumbing; Consulting engineer for building physics: Norconsult
  • Consulting engineer for HVAC and sanitation, ventilation: Loe VVS Prosjekt, subcontracting consultant for Energima Prosjekt AS
  • Consulting engineer for water, waste water, storm water and roads: COWI
  • Consulting engineer for fire safety: Fokus Rådgivning
  • Consulting engineer for geotechnics; Consulting engineer for external environment, Consulting engineer for energy and daylight: Multiconsult
  • Consulting engineer for ecology: Asplan Viak
  • BREEAM AP: Nordic Office of Architecture
  • Building physics: Norconsult AS designed everything for YC RØR

Supplier Industry 4.0 machinery and equipment:

Wood Factory supplier and installation: Weinig Vertrieb Und Service Gmbh & Co. Kg, A Falkenberg Eftf AS and Dagsland Miljø AS

Color Factory supplier and installation: Greiff Industrimiljö AB, Lakteknik ApS, Nordson Deutschland GmbH and RobNor AS

Subcontractors to ØM Fjeld AS:

  • Groundworks: Melby Maskin
  • Green roof, landscape gardener: MatTak
  • Load-bearing system glulam and solid wood: Bæresystem limtre og massivtre:
  • Glass façades: Reflex Slovenia
  • Plumbing and sprinkler systems: YC Rør
  • Ventilation: Energima Prosjekt, designed by Loe VVS Prosjektering AS
  • Electrical engineering, telecoms and data: Minel Elinstallasjon
  • Solar panels: Solcellespesialisten
  • Lifts and lifting tables: TKS Heiser

Subcontractors and suppliers (alphabetical):

Interior:

Interior design: Anderssen & Voll

Suppliers (alphabetical):

  • De Vorm
  • Fora Form
  • Glomma Industrier AS
  • Horreds
  • Vestre AS
  • Vitra

Forest Camp's supporters:

  • Loan of art installations: Hydro and Nobels Fredssenter