Read from the ground upward, the Jakob Factory explains its environmental argument before its programme is named. A gravel forecourt meets a plain concrete portal; behind and above it, long horizontal troughs of planting run across the façade in repeated bands. Diagonal stainless-steel cables cross these lines, holding the composition in tension, while the gaps between structure and vegetation remain open to air, light and shadow. The result is not a decorative green wall, but a working climatic envelope: a set of hanging gardens that shades, filters and cools a place of manufacturing.
Designed by
The project’s tropical intelligence lies in its refusal to treat comfort as synonymous with full air conditioning. Traditional regional architecture has long relied on deep shade, verandah-like thresholds, roof protection and cross-ventilation; here, those principles are translated into a contemporary tropical factory. Operable edges, large overhangs, open circulation zones and ceiling fans support natural airflow through the manufacturing halls. The planted façade then extends this passive strategy: leaves intercept direct sun before it reaches the working floors, evaporation lowers the perceived temperature, and the vegetation helps bind dust and airborne particles in an industrial setting.
Moving along the internal edge, the logic becomes even clearer. The concrete slabs form shaded galleries rather than sealed corridors. Sunlight first strikes the cable lattice, then the foliage, and only then reaches the floor as broken, softened patterns. Because the planting sits outside the line of occupation, it creates a breathable buffer between production and climate. At night, when light from the factory passes through the vegetation, the building reads less as an opaque industrial block than as a Green Pearl: illuminated, productive and porous.
Across all floors, the façade works as an integrated system. Stainless-steel wire ropes run diagonally between the roof beams, floor slabs and ground beams, supporting horizontal aluminium planters in up to nine levels. Each trough incorporates a waterproof membrane, drainage layer and growing medium, with plant species selected according to orientation and exposure. Webnet stainless-steel mesh restrains the planting and contributes to safety, while automatic irrigation and controlled drainage turn the façade into a maintainable building service rather than applied landscaping. More than six kilometres of diagonal ropes and around 4,250 square metres of planted trough façade give the system its scale and continuity.
The courtyard extends the same ethic inward. Planting, gravel surfaces and shaded outdoor areas allow rainwater to infiltrate and give workers places to gather, rest and exercise, including areas for volleyball and table tennis.
For Jakob Rope Systems, a company known for stainless-steel cable and mesh, the factory is also a demonstration of material knowledge used responsibly. The façade employs the client’s own expertise, yet its value is not simply technical. It allows a manufacturing building to occupy less land, reduce dependence on mechanical cooling and restore dignity to industrial labour through daylight, air, greenery and social space. In a region where factories often arrive as sealed instruments of expansion, Jakob Factory shows how production can be compact, climatic and humane.
