CASE-REAL transforms 80-year-old traditional japanese house into craft beer brewery
CategoriesArchitecture

CASE-REAL transforms 80-year-old traditional japanese house into craft beer brewery

craft beer Brewery by CASE-REAL

 

In Saga, Japan, a renovation project by CASE-REAL has transformed an 80-year-old traditional Japanese house into a craft beer brewery, named Whale Brewing. Yobuko, historically known for whaling during the Edo period and later famed for squid fishing, faces modern challenges like a declining population due to youth migration and numerous vacant houses. Given this context, the project was conceived with the aim of acting as a magnet for young people and rejuvenating the town. The chosen location for the brewery was an old traditional house along Yobuko Asaichi-dori, a street bustling with local seafood and goods stalls each morning. This aging house had been abandoned, suffering from leaks, facade deterioration, and structural issues. However, after the interior was dismantled, it revealed a sturdy structure, around nine meters tall, with hidden potential.

CASE-REAL transforms 80-year-old traditional japanese house into craft beer brewery
the goal of this project was to breathe new life into the town, all images by CASE-REAL

 

 

a New Landmark in Yobuko

 

After extensive discussions with clients, the architects at CASE-REAL chose to incorporate the existing strengths of the house into the new brewery design. The building’s layout features a storefront area with a ceiling on the facade side, while the brewing space utilizes the generous height of the second floor through an open atrium. A continuous glass facade spans both levels, offering a view of the street that showcases the robust beams and the brewery ambiance, despite the ceiling variation in the store area. To accommodate ground conditions, the floor plan includes a sloped design that connects the elevated rear of the building. Stainless steel was selectively utilized for elements like the counter and handles, maintaining a cohesive material theme in line with the brewing tanks. Certain façade pillars, essential for support, were crafted from solid Japanese cypress, accentuating the space’s height and adding a distinctive touch. The incorporation of rounded shapes in the pillars and counter edges was intentional, aiming to introduce a sense of softness and effectively merge structural elements with the overall design.‘By combining the new functions of the brewery with the original characteristics of the building, we hope that this will become a new landmark in Yobuko, firmly rooted in the local community,’ shared the architects.

CASE-REAL transforms 80-year-old traditional japanese house into craft beer brewery

CASE-REAL transforms 80-year-old traditional japanese house into craft beer brewery
the brewing space utilizes the generous height of the second floor through an open atrium

CASE-REAL transforms 80-year-old traditional japanese house into craft beer brewery
the new structure blends the brewery’s functionalities with the house’s original features

CASE-REAL transforms 80-year-old traditional japanese house into craft beer brewery

Reference

Pihlmann Architects creates ÅBEN brewery in former slaughterhouse
CategoriesInterior Design

Pihlmann Architects creates ÅBEN brewery in former slaughterhouse

Bulbous steel tanks hang from where carcasses used to be suspended at the ÅBEN brewery in Copenhagen, which local studio Pihlmann Architects transformed from a slaughterhouse into a restaurant and bar.

Located in Copenhagen’s Meatpacking District, the brewery is housed in a 1932 butchery that has been used for various commercial activities since the early 1990s.

Blue-rimmed doors at ÅBEN brewery designed by Pihlmann Architects
Visitors enter ÅBEN through the building’s original blue-rimmed doors

Pihlmann Architects maintained and restored many of the slaughterhouse’s original features as part of the renovation for Danish beer company ÅBEN.

“Turning the space back into a food production facility, with all the pragmatic measures we had to keep in mind, generated our ideas from the very beginning,” studio founder Søren Pihlmann told Dezeen. “Bringing back the authentic character of the space was key.”

Conical steel fermentation tanks within ÅBEN brewery in Copenhagen
Conical steel fermentation vessels were suspended where carcasses used to hang

Arranged across one open-plan level, the brewery features the original gridded rail system from which 980 carcasses used to hang when the space was a slaughterhouse.

Pihlmann Architects replaced the carcasses with conical fermentation tanks that are reached via a low-hanging galvanised steel walkway – also suspended from the listed building’s original sawtooth roof.

White tiles lining the walls of ÅBEN brewery in a former slaughterhouse
Pihlmann Architects was led by the building’s industrial history

Geometric clusters of white wall tiles that have been preserved since the 1930s were also kept in place, echoing the brewery’s original purpose.

“Bringing the key elements back to a worthy condition was more of a task than deciding on which [elements] to keep,” noted Pihlmann.

Semitransparent curtains within brewery designed by Pihlmann Architects
Semitransparent curtains divide spaces and control acoustics

Spaces are delineated by slaughterhouse-style semitransparent curtains, which cloak various dining areas that are positioned around the restaurant’s central open kitchen where visitors can experience the brewing process up close.

Furniture was kept simple and “unfussy” in order to emphasise the restaurant’s industrial elements, including angular chairs and bar stools finished in aluminium and wood.

“The [material and colour] palettes are true to function on the one hand and [true to] history on the other,” said Pihlmann.

Crimson red flooring runs throughout the brewery, which was in place when the building was purchased. It was maintained to add warmth to the otherwise clinical interiors.

At night, the restaurant’s electric light absorbs this colour and reflects from the fermentation tanks, creating a more intimate environment.

Central open kitchen within ÅBEN brewery
A central open kitchen is flanked by bar stools

Making the food production processes visible was at the core of the design concept, according to the architecture studio.

“It’s not only about the preparation of the food, it’s more about the brewing taking place,” continued Pihlmann.

“The space which produces thousands of litres every day is open for everyone to step into, and actually see how and where the product they consume is produced.”

“Today, we are so detached from what we consume, we just go to the supermarket and pick it up from the cold counter having no clue where it’s coming from,” he added.

“I’m not that naive to think that ÅBEN alone will change anything, but I’m convinced that it’s important to change this detachment.”

Steel fermentation tank within brewery in Copenhagen
The slaughterhouse’s original white tiles were preserved

Pihlmann described his favourite aspect of the project as “how the elements we’ve added both submit to and utilise the existing space, not just visually but also through their structural function”.

“The building is built to carry a huge load,” he reflected. “Back then, it was tonnes of dead meat. Today, it’s enormous serving tanks from the ceiling.”

Founded in 2021, Pihlmann Architects was included in our list of 15 up-and-coming Copenhagen architecture studios compiled to mark the city being named UNESCO-UIA World Capital of Architecture for 2023.

Previous slaughterhouse conversions include a training school for chefs in Spain that was once used to butcher meat and a cultural centre in Portugal that is currently being developed by Kengo Kuma and OODA.

The photography is by Hampus Berndtson.



Reference

A purpose-built carbon-neutral brewery – Springwise
CategoriesSustainable News

A purpose-built carbon-neutral brewery – Springwise

Spotted: As concern for the climate increases, businesses everywhere are working on innovative ways to become carbon neutral. Recently, beverage giant Diageo announced plans to invest €200 million to build Ireland’s first carbon-neutral brewery. The new brewery will brew lagers and ales on a greenfield site in Newbridge, County Kildare. When complete, the brewery will have the capacity to brew 2 million hectolitres of beer, making it Ireland’s second-largest brewing operation.

The new facility will be powered entirely with renewable energy, as well as using the latest process technology to minimise energy and water consumption. The brewery will save an estimated 15,000 tonnes of annual carbon emissions compared to what a similar-sized standard brewery would produce. Construction is expected to begin this year, with brewing operations starting in 2024.

The new brewery is also positive news for the economy of Newbridge and surrounding areas in Kildare, with up to 1,000 jobs created during the construction of the site and 50 permanent positions once it is up and running. Both Diageo and the Irish government hopes the brewery will serve as an inspiration for other businesses.

In going carbon neutral, Diageo is joining a growing number of businesses and industries that are using innovative design and building techniques to save on carbon emissions and water use. Some recent developments in this space include carbon-negative cement production and even carbon-neutral headphones. 

Written By: Lisa Magloff

Website: diageo.com

Contact: diageo.com/en/contact-us

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