More stories

  • in

    ALA draws on West Village history for Talea taproom interiors

    New York studio Alda Ly Architecture has designed a taproom for female- and veteran-owned brewery Talea in the city’s West Village neighbourhood, which includes a place for groups to “scheme”.

    Talea West Village is the beer company’s third outpost and its first Manhattan location, following two established in Brooklyn.
    The main dining and drinking area at the Talea West Village taproom is anchored by a colourful barThe space is located in a 1920s building on Christopher Street, an iconic thoroughfare that’s home to several landmarks, businesses and historic spaces associated with the LGBTQ+ rights movement.
    “This new taproom on Christopher Street reclaims the masculine identity of a West Village saloon to celebrate voices of women and LGBTQ+ communities in the Village, all while serving Talea’s popular sour brews in an elevated, vibrant space,” said Alda Ly Architecture (ALA).
    Bright hues chosen by ALA for the space include yellow for tiles, green seat backs and red dining chairsFlooded with natural light thanks to large windows along the street facade, the main space is anchored by a purple-fronted bar with a curved white quartz countertop in one corner.

    Behind, numerous beer taps are mounted onto a yellow-tiled partition, while glassware and cans are displayed on shelves above.
    Exposed brick and stone floors allude to a saloon-style aestheticThe bar is lit by Junit oak pendants from Schneid Studio and brass Dottie sconces by Visual Comfort are mounted around the perimeter.
    “We opened up the space to provide as much open area for the front dining room, and brought the bar front and centre to highlight the taps with their extensive selection of beers,” said ALA founder Alda Ly.
    The taproom was designed to celebrate its location in the West Village, which has played an important role in LGBTQ+ history”We wanted the bar to be a welcoming beacon for all people in the neighborhood,” she added.
    The other side features built-in, stained-oak seating and small circular tables against an exposed brick wall.
    Behind the bar is The Revolution Room, intended for larger groups to gatherPale green backrests and muted red Scroll dining chairs from Industry West continue the interior’s bright colour palette, which is also echoed in the works by local artists displayed on the walls.
    “It was important to us to capture the spirit of Talea in a space that felt elevated but also very warm and welcoming,” said ALA project director Marissa Feddema.

    Earthy and homey details feature in New York clinic Parsley Health by Alda Ly

    Past the bar is a more intimate space called The Revolution Room, designed for groups of eight to 10 people to “scheme, hang and gather” according to the team.
    A large table sits below a Nuura Miira 8 Oval chandelier that’s suspended from a skylight, and more brickwork is exposed to add to the saloon-like vibe.
    At the back is the Snug, a cosy space furnished with jewel-tone piecesFurther back still, patrons will find the Snug – a much darker and cosier room decorated with jewel-toned furniture, navy limewash painted walls and a vintage fireplace mantle.
    The moody bathrooms are adorned with images of prominent local residents and gender activists through the years, further emphasising the neighbourhood’s importance to the LGBTQ+ community.
    Images of prominent local residents and gender activists are displayed in the moody bathroomsThe West Village is packed with bars and restaurants, from upscale dining spots like Cecchi’s to casual cocktail places like Donna.
    Close by, in the Union Square area, ALA has previously designed the interior for a doctor’s office and clinic with earthy and homey details.
    The photography is by Brooke Holm.
    Project credits:
    Architect and interior designer: ALA (Alda Ly, Marissa Feddema, Sheridan Treadwell, Marlee Anderson)MEP engineer: Tan EngineeringGeneral contractor: Aerial Design & Build

    Read more: More

  • in

    Projekt Praga creates bar with self-service beer fountain for 16th-century Tenczynek Brewery

    Polish design studio Projekt Praga has overhauled the taproom of a centuries-old brewery outside Kraków to accommodate a new bar and restaurant, inserting bold contemporary elements into the historic brick-vaulted space.

    Tenczynek Brewery dates back to 1553, although parts of the building were destroyed during world war two and only reconstructed in 2014.
    The Taproom bar is set inside the 16th-century Tenczynek BreweryThe original taproom spans an area of 250 square metres, with a little under half of the space devoted to the bar and eatery. The remainder was allocated to the kitchen and the alembic, where spirits are distilled behind a glass partition.
    Projekt Praga opted for a minimal-intervention approach in order to respect the existing architecture and reduce the project’s environmental impact.
    Alembics for distilling spirits are on display behind a glass partitionThis included exposing the original brick walls from behind a layer of tiles, leaving them “raw” in a bid to minimise construction waste and emissions.

    The new elements were made from a palette of natural materials – including oak, ceramics, steel and glass – in collaboration with Polish artisans and craftspeople.
    Customers can pour their own drinks from a central fountain”In Tenczynek, we understood the importance of the local character of the brewery,” Projekt Praga co-founder Marcin Garbacki told Dezeen. “Here, the production of beer and vodka is carried out using traditional methods.”
    “The place has a unique atmosphere and energy that works well with individual craftsmanship,” he added. “The design elements are intricately tied to the brewery’s artisanal nature, seamlessly integrated into the existing space without attempting to transform it.”
    Glasses are displayed on red metal shelves nearbyThe principal focal point of The Taproom is a central self-service drinks fountain, set inside a column clad in handmade ceramic tiles by family-run workshop Ardea Arte.
    Their warm burgundy tone layers with the original brickwork and the rich reds used across shelving and table legs to create an intense and immersive atmosphere.

    Projekt Praga incorporates mid-century references into Polish dumpling restaurant

    The dispenser allows visitors to pour themselves any desired amount of beer or vodka using 14 different taps.
    “Since this element defines the modus operandi of the venue – it’s a taproom – we decided to turn it into a centrally located mini-rotunda, the heart of the space,” Garbacki said.
    “It defines the logic of the space and facilitates accidental meetings of different users, serving as a social tool.”
    The bar’s solid oak furniture is by Artur CzajkaThe oak floor was designed to act much like a carpet to delineate space, stopping short of the walls at a distance of around ten centimetres in order to draw a clear distinction between old and new.
    At the same time, the flooring helps to ground several of the bar’s other oak elements, including the benches and tables by designer Artur Czajka.
    “Part of our intention was to make a bold gesture in the space, a single fundamental intervention that will encompass all the other changes made and serve as a canvas for them,” Garbacki said.
    Andrzej Bero and Piotr Linca handmade clay lamps for Tenczynek BreweryTo counter the narrow, elongated nature of the space, Projekt Praga made strategical use of mirrors and other reflective finishes both to illuminate and to extend the sense of space.
    “The reflecting mirrors placed in the arcades across from the windows add depth to the space and multiply the impressive brick arches,” the studio said.
    “Watched from a certain angle, they multiply natural light coming in through the windows, which is important as the natural light is quite restricted.”
    The building’s original vaulted bricks ceilings are left exposedHandmade clay lamps suspended low over the tables enhance the venue’s intimate atmosphere.
    Created in collaboration with ceramicists Andrzej Bero and Piotr Linca, they feature a colour palette that links to the original brick as well as to the new materials used on the project.
    By using a range of different shapes and sizes of lampshades, each table’s setup is subtly different.
    Red brick also features across the floors”The soft shapes of the smooth clay lamps are a bridge between the new interior decoration and the existing structure of the rough walls and arches,” Garbacki said.
    Tenczynek Brewery project has been shortlisted for this year’s Dezeen Award in the restaurant and bar interior category alongside a seafood eatery with a vaulted-wood interior and Ikoyi by David Thulstrup, which is decorated with copper walls and a curved metal-mesh ceiling.
    Projekt Praga, which was established by Marcin Garbacki and Karolina Tunajek in 2010,  previously converted another historic brewery in Poland into minimalist apartments.
    The photography is by ONI Studio.

    Read more: More

  • in

    Spacon & X adds kombucha brewery to 1930s functionalist building in Copenhagen

    Danish studio Spacon & X preserved “different layers of unique history” when designing the Folk Kombucha brewery, which is set within a listed building in Copenhagen’s Meatpacking District.

    The factory belongs to fermented-tea brand Folk Kombucha and features a production area for kombucha brewing overlooked by a mezzanine level used for workshops and other social events.
    Spacon & X designed a brewery for Folk Kombucha in CopenhagenLocal firm Spacon & X aimed to balance the history of the 1930s functionalist building with its contemporary needs when designing the interior, which is led by cobalt blue, orange and pink accents.
    “The buildings in the Meatpacking District are from the 1930s and have a strong character,” said architect Malene Hvidt.
    “Our design team aimed to preserve different layers of unique history,” she told Dezeen.

    Mustard-hued floor tiles were preserved in the renovationSpacon & X maintained the building’s “archetypal Meatpacking white-tile walls” as well as mustard-yellow and green marble floor tiles.
    Translucent iridescent panels were placed behind the various stainless steel fermentation tanks to delineate spaces within the brewery.
    The studio also maintained the building’s green marble flooringStainless steel was also used to form the extensive network of pipes connected to the tanks as well as custom tables and benches topped with bright blue rubber.
    This tangle of tubes was echoed with the addition of spaghetti-shaped wire lighting.
    “The buildings in the area are all known for their white facades with windows and panels painted in a strong cobalt blue colour,” explained Hvidt. “Cobalt blue was chosen to pay tribute to the area itself.”
    A mezzanine overlooks the main production areaSpacon & X created lounge tables by recycling plastic packaging salvaged from fish and other food waste, which was industrially produced at the site before it became the Folk Kombucha brewery.
    “Instead of throwing out this long-lasting hygienic material, we transformed it into unique custom-made tables,” Hvidt said.
    Hand-hammered steel lamps also feature on the interiorArtwork made of scoby — a culture of yeast and bacteria that kickstarts the kombucha fermentation process — was used to decorate the interior alongside bespoke hand-hammered steel lamps.
    Other spaces within the multipurpose building include offices, a separate lounge, a laboratory and various storage areas.

    Pihlmann Architects creates sleek brewery in former Copenhagen slaughterhouse

    “The brewery’s spatial design was created in a way that resembled and preserved the listed building’s long history and strong character,” said Hvidt.
    “The design also incorporates subtle, organic and innovative spatial solutions with functionality and uses the building’s industrial nature as a guiding principle.”
    Cobalt blue, orange and pink accents define the breweryElsewhere in Copenhagen, Spacon & X previously created the interior for a burger restaurant filled with natural materials and plants.
    The studio has also completed an Ace & Tate glasses store in the city, taking cues from colourful artists’ studios.
    The photography is by Hedda Rysstad.

    Read more: More

  • in

    Pihlmann Architects creates sleek brewery in former Copenhagen 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.
    Visitors enter ÅBEN through the building’s original blue-rimmed doorsPihlmann 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 vessels were suspended where carcasses used to hangArranged 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.
    Pihlmann Architects was led by the building’s industrial historyGeometric 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 divide spaces and control acousticsSpaces 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.
    A central open kitchen is flanked by bar stoolsMaking 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.”

    Óscar Miguel Ares Álvarez converts Spanish slaughterhouse into community centre

    “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.”
    The slaughterhouse’s original white tiles were preservedPihlmann 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.

    Read more: More