Fagus Factory

The Fagus Factory (German: Fagus-Werk) is a shoe last factory in Alfeld on the Leine, Lower Saxony, Germany, and serves as an important example of early modern architecture. Commissioned by owner Carl Benscheidt who wanted a radical structure to express the company's break from the past, the factory was designed by Walter Gropius and Adolf Meyer. It was constructed between 1911 and 1913, with additions and interiors completed in 1925. Because of its influence in the development of modern architecture and outstanding design, the factory has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2011.

The Fagus Factory is a shoe-last factory in Alfeld an der Leine, Germany, designed by Walter Gropius with Adolf Meyer and begun in 1911 for the manufacturer Carl Benscheidt. Its main building is faced almost entirely in glass, with the structural steel frame set back from the corners so the curtain wall turns the corner uninterrupted by any visible support, an arrangement unprecedented at the time and a defining image of early modern architecture. The factory continued producing shoe lasts in the original buildings for decades afterward. UNESCO inscribed the complex as a World Heritage Site in 2011, citing its influence on the development of modern architecture and industrial design.

It was constructed in 1911 according to Werner's plan but with the glass facades designed by Gropius and Meyer and then expanded in 1913.