As I was ambling through wechat moments the other day, I noticed some photos that seemed remarkably familiar, yet not at the same time. It looked like the brewery I designed last year for German Brewery Zapfler, the one in Found 158. But then the caption to aforementioned photos read something about Aussie beef burgers? Huh?
So I went to check it out. And yep, yep. A burger joint has literally found all it’s inspiration in our brewery design. It was like they had ripped out the wall from Zapfler and transported the thing whole. So imitation is the highest form of flattery? Ok, but we had reason behind our design. We don’t just design something because looks good, we think about context, about brand identity, about functionality.
Let’s start here. Zapfler’s cool room above the bar – their something above the something.
Corrugated iron sheeting wrapping a volume within the space, punctured by three windows of varying shapes. Granted, they left the sheeting un-rusted, but the similarity is still unmistakable. But why did we do this the way we did? At a functional level, the cool room holds the kegs of beer, and because we had a narrow but high ceiling-ed space, we chose to raise it above the bar, giving back more space to patrons and allowing easy flow of beer from the kegs downwards to the taps. At an aesthetic level, the cool room volume became our focal point of the design because this is a brewery, and Zapfler having already established their image as an industrial style, the materiality and form sought to reflect that style.
Logo design is usually considered fairly personal, fairly uniquely representative of your brand, and developed after careful consideration of the image you want to convey. Rusted metal is one of Zapfler’s primary materials, evident throughout the scheme. It makes sense it would feature as a backdrop for the logo. This burger joint however… I mean… why??
This is interesting. Not only did they copy the mezzanine over the entrance, but they also decorated it with kegs. Now, we decided to display kegs and wheat bags there because Zapfler is a brewery. The façade is glass, so displaying kegs to passers-by tells potential customers who Zapfler is, what their story is. But this burger joint? Surely there should be something burger-related on display? Call me crazy.
Do I even need to point out the brick and stone wall pattern? That was a design taken from Zapfler’s original Jintan location, adapted to the new space and developed to bring warmth to the industrial aesthetic. I’m quite fond of it. Note the fermenters lining the wall. Zapfler also has fermenters on display, becau BREWERY ! ! !
One more thing I will point out is the timber beam that creates a datum around the space, that dips and rises due to spatial requirements. It was a design feature that arose from the opportunity presented by the site. Levels change throughout the space so we linked them with this undulating strip of timber. Whether or not their space was faced with the same requirement resulting in the similar design, I do not know. I feel unlikely.
And another thing. We use real reclaimed timber, sourced locally, with all it’s natural richness and texture. None of this veneer crap.
So in an attempt to disguise the fact I was there purely to photograph the place, I asked for a beer. My options were Budwieser, Hoegaarden or something unfamiliar. Not the best range of beers for a place who displays kegs and wheat bags and fermenters everywhere. I have never been a big fan of Hoegaarden, I find it quite tasteless. But believe me, this particular over sized pint was full of flavours – ranging from bitterness, sourness, disdain, anger, all the way to pity, resentment and even to a weird flavour of satisfaction. And sure, a hint of flattery.
