A fermentation hub that could produce everything from cheese to booze will be built in northern Tasmania, now that local not-for-profit Fermentasmania has secured $7.5 million in federal funding.
Part factory, part laboratory, part tourist attraction, the 1,800 square metre facility will be designed by architecture firm Cumulus and landscape architect SLBA Studio and will be located 10 kilometres northwest of Launceston. The idea is that it will support local fermentation start-ups making a range of different products by providing low-cost access to specialized equipment, research, and education.
“Our collaboration with Fermentas has been essential to solving the complexities of the space, which needed to house highly prescribed production processes while still providing an accessible and engaging public face,” said Cumulus associate Jet O’Rourke.
The public areas will be designed so that visitors can get up close and personal with the fermentation process, with visible fermentation vessels, equipment pipes, and production zones. The screening along the facade has been “playfully lifted” at the corners of the building, giving way to full glazing to give passers-by a glimpse into the inner workings of the hub.
The landscape plan by SBLA Studio.
The roof, which follows the alternating contours of the facade, creates a second level housing specialized plant equipment necessary for the different fermentation processes.
“As the site lies along the West Tamar Highway, we had to consider a design that would invite curiosity from people driving by,” said O’Rourke. “The shifting facade lifts the veil on the traditional ’big shed’ structure, opening the space and connecting the interior to the landscape.”
The landscape design features sculptural planting that references moulds, yeast cultures and bacteria, as if viewed under a microscope.
Some the plantings will look like champagne bubbles and the paving patterns will be designed to resemble bacteria on an agar plate. There will also be productive garden areas where visitors can source native and exotic plants to feed into the fermentation production process inside.
“We worked closely with Fermentas and botanist Pippa French, who will continue to collaborate with us on how the landscape can celebrate the wonder that is occurring within the building,” said SBLA Studio creative director Simone Bliss.
Construction of the facility will begin this year with completion scheduled for 2022.
Source: Architecture - architectureau
