Heatherwick reveals Bombay Sapphire distillery
Greenhouse will feature ten botanicals used in gin
Thomas Heatherwick has been chosen to design a distillery and visitor centre in Hampshire for Bombay Sapphire.
The project will see the renovation of a derelict mill sitting on a 2ha brownfield site near the grounds of Laverstoke Park.
Heatherwick said: “As the particular flavours of Bombay Sapphire gin are derived from ten botanicals, the centerpiece of the site is a glass house, within which visitors will experience the specific horticultural specimens infused in the spirit.
“The glass house, influenced by Britain’s rich heritage of glass house structures, will be two separate structures providing both a humid environment for spices that originate from the tropics, as well as a dry temperate zone for Mediterranean plants.”
Planning permission for the project was granted earlier this year and the distillery is due to open in autumn 2013.
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Readers' comments (11)
Site and brief - amazing
Proposal - crass and contrived
another Carbuncle Cup candidate. This looks like a first-year student idea, devoid of architectural savoir-faire. And lousy presentation skills. But then, as we know, anything by Heatherwick is inherently wonderful.
...cleverly concealing how those bent bits of wood meet the ground, and what he's done about rainwater. And how those bits of wood are going to support the weight of all that glass. And how much it's going to cost to have every single glass panel made to measure, on the curve, every one different. I mean, it's so naive.
Well the curved glass on the new London bus looks good, if that's anything to go by. Bombay Saphire must have a spare few quid, lots of beverage and liquor companies are investing in 'experiences', many of which seem to be taking the form of built projects or museums. It's important these look good, even if they are quite literal in their alegory.
None of the glass will be openable, so being in here will be a horrible experience.
This project shows that Heatherwick really is an innocent abroad in the world of architecture. You can see he never studied the subject. But hey, everyone thinks he's wonderful.
Maybe Heatherwick doesn't know how to make the in and outs of this work - But I bet he knows a man/woman who can.
To make this horror buildable the whole design would need to change radically. In the end it wouldn't look anything like this.
@sceptical, maybe they should plant some sour grapes inside
I assume there's going to be a press area...