WHEN WE THINK of factories, we often envision cleanrooms, concrete and the hum of machines. Yet, one factory—aptly nicknamed Factory in the Forest—challenges our perceptions of what factories can be. Paramit Malaysia provides fully-integrated engineering, manufacturing and post-manufacturing services to medical device and instrument companies. Nestled in Bukit Minyak on the mainland, its revolutionary facility is a game-changer in green building. Designed by Design Unit Architects in collaboration with IEN Consultants, the project turned 162,000sq ft of factory space into a lush and green “Hanging Gardens of Babylon” with cutting-edge technology.
Since its completion in 2017, Paramit’s Factory in the Forest has stood as a beacon of what is possible when sustainability, innovation and functionality meet. The site, conceived as a forest that penetrates and envelops the building, has won numerous design awards, including Commercial Building of the Year in the ABB Leaf Awards 2017; winner of the commercial category in the FuturArc Green Leadership Award in 2018; listed on the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) International list in 2018; winner in the Commercial, Retail and Office category in Architecture and Design Trophy Awards 2019; and winner of the commercial category award under the World Green Building Council’s Asia Pacific Leadership in Sustainable Design and Performance Awards in 2020.
