Aslan’s JOURNEY
Are you planning a new business and need to keep building costs down? In this project we reused as many materials as possible and worked diligently to stretch their budget.
Principal designer and builder for Aslan Brewing, Matt Remsbecher, owner of Slab Design, asked Haven to provide architectural assistance with code issues and coordination for a significant remodel to an aging commercial space in downtown Bellingham. Throughout the design process, Slab chose to reuse old materials from the previous space wherever possible, giving them new life in the finished space. The old floor sheathing was saved to be reused as wall cladding while other creative reuse opportunities were found in the steel and wood bar tops and railings, the large picture windows which showcase the brewery equipment beyond, and the re-exposed structural glulam beams overhead. Following Slab’s theme of reuse and authenticity, the brewery itself serves all organic beer, uses local sourcing whenever possible, and is heavily invested in various sustainable practices such as wind power offsetting. Since completion, the brewery has become a lively and engaging space for the Bellingham beer loving population.
Features:
Extensive reuse of existing materials • Open floor community space • Energy efficiency and sustainable business practices
DISCOVERY
They wanted a trendy, Northwest feel. The restaurant needed to allow for a large number of people in a lively, vibrant open space, promoting social interaction. It was important to them that their restaurant clientele could view the brewery in operation.
DESIGN
We teamed up with Matt Remsbecher. a new designer. We were the architectural lead designing the remodel, paying attention to the flow of people within the building, and making sure all the required kitchen and building codes were met. Matt handled interior design elements.
BUDGET
Their budget was fairly tight, so to save money Matt wore two hats, both designer and contractor.
DOCUMENTS
We worked in collaboration with Matt to produce the needed documents. We supplied the full construction documents and Matt did the interior design documents.
PERMITTING
The challenge was the issue of viewing the brewery from the restaurant because of fire separation and protection codes. It required a lot of code analysis on our part to make it work, but that’s the sort of thing we do all the time. There is more to architecture than just the design.
CONSTRUCTION
Because the client and the contractor were both new, there were some tweaks to the design that required further permitting. We had to be flexible and attentive to their needs during the construction process and juggle all the balls in the air to keep the project on task.
The result was a beautiful building and one of the most popular destinations in the city.
PHOTO ALBUM
Construction: Slab Industries Photography: Mitch Olsen
HAVEN
With our experience in design and construction, including building our own homes, we can help turn your dreams into reality and do it within the framework of your budget and project constraints. At Haven, we turn limits into guidelines, aspirations into realities, and help you create the Haven of your dreams.
“Sean came out to our property when we first met and I felt this helped him better understand the layout and what we were looking for. He was able to feel it and see it . . . not just hear it. It seemed during the design process that he used all of his senses to create our dream home. Other architects just didn’t seem to get what we were looking for, not Haven Design Workshop, they were great.”