Architecture studio Jestico + Whiles have inserted the beer hall and brew house of the Shilling Brewery Company into a Grade-B-Listed former bank in Glasgow.
The interior of the 20-foot high banking hall has been unpicked to reveal original full-height windows, coffered ceilings and fluted marble columns. The period features are lit with strips of globe-shaped light bulbs, and medieval style chandeliers.
The London-based practice was responsible for developing the entire visual identity for the bar, which is located on the corner of West George Street and West Nile Street in the centre of the Scottish city.
Using the 1920s art-deco and Egyptian-revival elements of the stripped-down building as a starting point, the architects have accessorised the historic space with hints of surrealism.
A mural of a full-size galloping unicorn covers the hall’s end wall, and a concentric star pattern inlaid into the concrete floor directs visitors towards a monolithic marble bar. Above, polished copper tanks storing the finished beer sit on an elevated gantry.
Throughout the interior, the architects have weaved symbols of the beer-making process into their design. Behind the bar, an ultramarine dripping motif represents water, and hops-patterned fabric is used to line built-in seating.
Below ground, the bank’s original vault doors have been retained, sealing off a private dining room which is separated from the brewery’s cellar by a full-height wall of glazing.
Also responsible for developing graphics for the bar, the award-winning practice referenced swirling guilloche patterns used on banknotes, and developed a custom typeface for the logo.
Photography by James Harris.