Vestre’s Factory The Plus Recognized with the Highest Environmental Classification

presented by Vestre

Vestre’s new furniture factory, The Plus, was completed in Magnor, Norway in 2022. Now, as the first project of its kind, the building is being recognized with the highest environmental classification – BREEAM Outstanding.

A BREEAM Outstanding building is defined as an international innovator. In theory, less than one percent of all non-residential buildings should be able to achieve this extremely high classification. However, in practice even fewer achieve this accolade.

When The Plus was launched in 2020, there were no industrial projects in the Nordics that were even close to meeting the requirements for Outstanding. Vestre’s CEO Bjørn Fjellstad hopes the award will inspire others.

“Through this project, Vestre have shown that industrial projects can also be global environmental role models and that the industry is part of the solution. We hope we can help to inspire others, so that more follow in our footsteps,” says Fjellstad.

The factory building of the future

CEO of the Norwegian Green Building Council, Katharina Bramslev, believes the award makes Vestre a beacon of sustainability.

“Achieving BREEAM Outstanding is fantastic. I hope this inspires others to think about how they construct and use their buildings, and about what a major impact they have on the climate and nature,” says Bramslev.

“Vestre’s ambition was to create the factory building of the future, while at the same time showing the industry that they can decide how green and attractive industry workplaces will be in the future. By achieving BREEAM Outstanding, Vestre can also demonstrate that they don’t just talk about how they are reducing their environmental impact, they also act on it,” Bramslev notes.

“This shows that Norwegian ambition, knowledge, and skill in creating sustainable buildings are world class. The award is a major recognition for the parties involved,” she says.

The value of green buildings, workplaces, and new solutions

The Plus is the first, and probably only, factory building in the world that meets the BREEAM certification’s strict environmental requirements and standards for safe, healthy, and good physical working environments.

On a global scale, the building and construction sector is responsible for around 37 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions.

“There is considerable potential for the decarbonization of this entire sector. It is therefore crucial that everyone who orders goods and services imposes requirements on their suppliers. In this way, we can take responsibility for reducing emissions together,” says Fjellstad.

Learn more about The Plus here.

Published on November 30, 2023