Industrial Building

All too often, the design of contemporary industrial structures lacks a deeper quality than being just variations on the 'big-box'type, preferred for economy and efficiency, but only to a limited extent able to respond to context and the needs of human users. In light of the current changes in the production sector, where sustainable approaches in everything from energy supply, material procurement and waste management challenge and redefine the very essence of the industrial sector, a similar new approach to industrial architectural design is also a chance to re-invent the way industry and environment can interact in a positive way.

The examples assembled here touch on different aspects of using architectural quality to go further than the purely functional, by including bioclimatic aspects, workplace design and urban and landscape integration. But they also show the possibilities of simply creating good design with modest means - with few exceptions, industrial architecture is created from low budgets and standardized components. This makes the challenge of the designer all the greater, and proves that architectural quality is not primarily driven by investment but by imagination and invention.

Julian Weyer - Partner, Architect maa. C.F. Moller Architects