New industrial architecture

March 28, 2009 11:28 PM

Looking for examples of creative, modern industrial architecture.

When I think industrial buildings, I (and probably most people) imagine gigantic bland boxes, tens or hundreds of thousands square feet large surrounded by parking lots. But it doesn't always have to be that way, right? Zaha Hadid's BMW Central Building in Leipzig comes to mind, but even then, it's just a small piece in a collection of otherwise typical box warehouses.

What else is out there? I'd really like to see:
- Green - I'm thinking along the lines of LEED certification, or some kind of production in green materials.
- Industrial - light or heavy. Blue collar work environments. Nothing that's primarily office space.
- Mixed-use? If you can mix office, retail and residences, is it possible to mix industrial? Perhaps smaller industrial spaces? Does this even exist?
- On a similar vein, high-density is a bonus.
- The exterior environment is really important- It's not just the architecture that should be compelling but also the landscaping.

Alright, now please educate me!

posted by lou to grab bag (9 comments total)

Briefly, as I haven't much time, I suggest scrolling through the inhabitat.com architecture category. Far too many things there for me to just list.
posted by Mizu at 1:39 AM on March 29

Warehouses can be beautiful.

(Disclaimer: I work for that magazine.)
posted by WPW at 6:50 AM on March 29

Recycling plants can also be beautiful.
posted by WPW at 6:53 AM on March 29

Check out the 'Office' category in Baumschlager & Eberle's portfolio. There are a few projects (more workshops than heavy industry) that might interest you - Altenreid Woodworking Centre for sure, and maybe LTW Wolfurt (combining offices, warehouses, labs, and workshop), Sirch Woodworking Boehnen and Graf Electronics. (BTV Wolfurt misses your criteria entirely, but mixed use of a bank and residential kind of delights me.)
posted by carbide at 7:03 AM on March 29

Look for the tag "amazingstructures" on Delicious.
posted by yclipse at 7:27 AM on March 29

You could do worse than look at the McLaren F1 headquarters.
posted by arcticseal at 7:43 AM on March 29

The Volkswagen factory in Dresden. Also interesting: Toyota Roof Gardens.
posted by iviken at 7:49 AM on March 29

GM's Lansing Delta Township plant is LEED certified.
posted by arachnid at 8:22 AM on March 29

Coop Himmelb(l)au built a bunch of particle board factories in the last two decades. Online info seems to be scarce. "Funder Werk n" for n=1..3 should be the key words.
posted by themel at 8:30 AM on March 29