Gundry + Ducker creates concertina facade for London brewery
A folded facade of galvanised steel and glass fronts the railway arches that house this beer hall in London by local studio Gundry + Ducker.
Located in Kentish Town in North London, the brewery was designed for beer company Camden Town Brewery within railway arches in a cobbled mews.
Its concertinaed frontage was designed by Gundry + Ducker to celebrate the arches while framing the new taproom and shop within.
"There was an opportunity to think about how we could connect the mews to the city, encourage public and community use and express the brand," studio founder Christian Ducker told Dezeen.
Retaining the spirit of being in a busy working brewery whilst creating a welcoming environment for guests was key to the project brief.
"We reimagined the mews as an industrial park where the huge stainless-steel tanks and brewing paraphernalia became blended with trees, lighting and seating to form a space used for a range of activities," Ducker explained.
The two renovated railway arches act as an extension of the site. The arches are connected by the facade where they front onto the mews.
Formed of galvanised steel and glass, the folded frontage is intended to reflect the industrial nature of the site.
"We saw the existing railway architecture as including not just the arches, but all the associated pylons, platforms, [and] gantries," Ducker told Dezeen. "These provided the materiality for our facade."
The concertinaed form of the frontage creates oblique views out from the arches and defines circulation from the narrow mews into the interior.
Inside Camden Town Brewery, the renovated arches house a taproom, tour meeting point, shop and meeting space. They are connected at their rear by a double-height corridor which services the chilled cellar, kitchen and other ancillary spaces.
Existing materials define the interiors, with exposed brick and heavily patinaed concrete floors of the arches retained and celebrated.
A bar stretching the length of the railway arch acts as a focal point in the taproom.
The wall behind it is clad in white vitreous-enamel panels, with beer taps positioned below a contrasting graphic of Camden Town Brewery's logo.
"[It is] intended to reflect the simple graphic language of the Camden brand and graphic materiality of the railway station above," the studio said.
Gundry + Ducker was founded by Christian Ducker and Tyeth Gundry in 2007. Other London projects by the studio include a 1970s home featuring green hues and chequerboard terrazzo, and a colourful bubble tea cafe in Soho.
The photography is by Hufton + Crow.