unism studio blends subterranean factory's green roof into the polish rural landscape

EcoPet flagship Factory hides under Drzewce’s green field

Warsaw-based architectural studio Unism unveils the plan for a subterranean factory for food packaging company Ecopet in Poland. Located in Drzewce, near the city of Lublin, the flagship factory stands as the centerpiece of the architectural studio’s wider masterplan aiming to alter the future of large-scale developments in rural landscapes. Positioned on the narrow and gully topography with a six-meter-height difference between the highest and lowest points of the site, the building arranges in two levels. The structure hides under the ground forming a green roof that blends with its surrounding land. The team collaborated with Arup’s structural engineering consultants on the infrastructure.

aerial view of the factory hidden in the green landscape | all images courtesy of Unism

The volume plants green roof leaving an open arched entrance

The subterranean factory develops a large structure under the ground arranged according to the narrow and gully topography of the site. Most of the volume remains hidden while the entrance emerges from underneath the green roof in a soft arch formation. The designers assemble a linear layout on the ground floor of the building containing three main areas – raw material storage, a production line, and storage for finished products. The factory’s upper level opened to the public includes a visitor center, conference facilities, and a research center dedicated to the advancements in ecological packaging as well as adequate workspaces for office staff. Developed in collaboration with Arup’s engineer team the project implements automation of the production line and the use of autonomous mobile robots in storage facilities to increase the production outputs.

the entrance to the factory emerges from underneath the ground forming a soft arch

interior shot of the office space overlooking production space

the architectural geometry incorporates factory services into a holistic design

Unism’s masterplan for a large EcoPet campus

the project blends the roof with the rural landscape

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the topography of the existing site presents a 6-meter height difference between the highest and lowest points

the building volume's form works as a sound barrier

the upper floor office and visitor center are accessible from a pedestrian route next to the fields of corn

vehicle circulation forms around the back of the site

linear factory layout provides storage on each side of the production space

project info:

name: EcoPet Flagship Factory
designer: UNISM | @unism.eu

location: Drzewce, Poland

collaborators: Arup

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edited by: christina vergopoulou | designboom