CLIENT
William Grant & Sons
ARCHITECT
Michael Laird Architects/ Scarinish Studio (Brand Interiors)
CONTRACTOR
MCL&H
FACING BRICKS
PROCESSING
stretcher bond, recessed joint with a mortar colour similar to the brick
Photos: © David Cadzow
Dark coloured facing brick Linea 7021 strongly relates to the brand of the legendary Hendrick's Gin
The extraordinary remake of the Hendrick’s Gin Palace in Scotland
The famous Hendrick’s Gin Distillery is located on the South-West Coast of Scotland. Michael Laird Architects along with the Design Team were commissioned to design a purpose-built distillery for Hendrick’s Gin of William Grant & Sons. William Grant & Sons Ltd. manufactures spirits such as scotch whisky, vodka, gin, rum…
The principle function of the building was to serve as the new iconic home for their eccentric Hendrick’s Gin.
THE DESIGN WITH FACING BRICK LINEA 7021
Architecturally the project is a significant departure from anything the distillers have previously realised and is designed in conjunction with their distinctive brand.
The new distillery, which is located on the site of their existing distillery, doubles their previous production capacity and has been designed to allow for future expansion.
The distillery is formed of four key elements;
• a Victorian inspired brick walled garden enclosing three distinctive Glasshouses.
• a central accommodation spine housing a bar, a lab space and a lecture theatre.
• three individual still houses.
• external service yard with support facilities for the distillation process.
The Hendrick’s brand team created a detailed brief fitting of the wonderfully elaborate world which they have created around their Gin.
As a design team Michael Laird Architect was tasked with bringing their aspirations to life and the outcome is the Gin Palace which you see today.
Working within such a quirky brief created many opportunities and significant challenges. The design team had to create a very functional process driven building which allowed the Client to efficiently produce their spirit.
All whilst developing a building which adhered to the brand aesthetic and created a series of interesting spaces which architecturally responded to the brand. This was done in collaboration with Scarinish Studio who were the Brand designers.
FACING BRICK LINEA 7021
It took some time before the design team found the matching brick, but as soon as they discovered the solid, dark coloured Vande Moortel brick linea 7021, there was no doubt. As the project was heavily inspired by the Victorian era where brickwork was widely used to significant effect, they wanted to use the brickwork to relate the building to the Victorian era but in a contemporary way. The non-standard profile of the facing brick linea 7021 really helped to achieve this. The black brick also strongly relates to the brand colours.
The bricks were applied in a stretcher bond. The recessed joint accentuates the contours of the bricks, but at the same time the dark mortar colour softens the whole of the brickwork. The appearing texture which creates a very strong expression in the details contributes to the Victorian atmosphere.
Secondly, a black fungus which grows in ethanol rich atmospheres like distillery’s, means that most structures within the distillery grounds are covered in a black coating after a few years. A black brick will reduce the impact of this as a result.
COMBINATION OF BRICKS AND OTHER MATERIALS
The material palette for the project was quite simple; glass, steel and brick with the predominant colour being black.
This strongly relates to the Brand as mentioned before allowing the bright copper stills within the central still house to become the internal focal point. Externally the brick contrasts with the lush green plants housed within the glasshouses and allows them take centre stage within the building.
ARCHITECTURAL EXCELLENCE AWARD (COMMERCIAL)
Michael Laird Architects has won the "Scottisch Property Awards 2019" in the category "Architectural Excellence Award (Commercial)" for Hendrick's Gin Palace. SPA or Scottisch Property Awards is an independent awards programme that recognizes projects in commercial and public property development in Scotland.
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