The world of manufacturing
has always been a hotbed for
innovation and experimentation,
often veering towards extremes,
from the industrial revolution’s
steampunk mess and hierarchical
layouts, to modernism’s clinical
tidiness and utopian dreams.
In contrast, today’s factory
is a much more elegant, informal
and welcoming afair. Open
and egalitarian, the 21st-century
production facility promotes
interaction and conviviality
for its staf, but also invites the
outside world in. Heralding a
new architecture for the genre,
here are three companies
reinventing the way we approach,
design and experience the
modern making space.A busy, eicient factory can be an extraordinary thing
to experience. More than a production facility, it
can be a production in its own right; a choreographed
dance between man and machine on constant repeat.
This has never beeen more apparent than at Snøhetta’s
extraordinary new building for Swarovski in Wattens.
Here, high in the Austrian Alps, the manufacture
of all the crystal conglomerate’s products will now be
prominently on display in a vast, open space, which
is more cultural destination than dark industrial park.
The Manufaktur building, which will oicially
open this spring, will include product showrooms,
prototyping machinery and meeting spaces. Part
of a €100m investment by Swarovski into a scheme
to transform its manufacturing procedures and client
relationships, it is one of three key new or revamped
buildings. Campus 311, a former crystal-cutting
factory, is being transformed into the new product
development and innovation centre; while Focus
Factory 2.0 is a new crystal-cutting centre that brings
the entire production process under one roof. »SWAROVSKI, AUSTRIA
Architects: Snøhetta
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