Cowaramup Distillery and Tavern
When award-winning local distillers Tailor Made Spirits won a Value Add Investment Grant from the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD), they approached me to design two iconic buildings to house their new agri-food, hospitality and tourism venture.
the brief
Design:
- A new distillery for their flagship West Winds Gin brand, which would also be the company’s spiritual home
- A tavern to feature local beers, food, and entertainment
The designs for both buildings needed to fulfil:
- Individual liquor licence requirements, including car parking, amenity, and public accessibility
- Shire of Margaret River guidelines for scale and materials selection
We considered multiple design alternatives before settling on the version now being built.
the site
A high-profile street front site in central Cowaramup, which you must pass through on your way to the Margaret River wine region.
the design
As far as possible, the Tavern and Distillery will run on renewable energy and recycled rainwater. Continuously circulating rainwater is used for cooling the distillery equipment to save on water usage.
The tavern has been carefully orientated with the alfresco and dining area facing true north to allow for passive solar gain and optimise solar shading during the hot periods of the year.
the materials
We’ll incorporate locally sourced materials, including stone and recycled timbers, that represent and honour the region’s landscape.
the result
Two contemporary buildings, softened by earthy tones provided by Core10 rusted metal wall panels and natural stones from a local quarry.