My Final Major Project, located in Silo D, a Grade II listed building in the London Docklands, consists of an immersive, walk-through brewery experience. By utilizing the adjacent dock for seaweed farming, my scheme incorporates this natural material within construction, for seaweed panels and insulation, as well as the brewing of rum and creation of Notpla biodegradable packaging to be used in the bar on site. As visitors begin the experience, they make a downwards journey into the dock within a ramped, glass tunnel, behind which the seaweed can be seen growing. Visitors then enter the main silo tower via the basement, where they wind their way through a display of hanging, drying seaweed, before making their way to the bar, where the seaweed products are utilized.
The use of seaweed throughout the design celebrates and reminds visitors of the circularity of the proposal: as the seaweed biomaterials breakdown and as rum and Notpla packaging is used in the bar, the growth of new seaweed in the dock allows these products to be made again. The design also features a seaweed-clad vertical garden, leading up to the rooftop of the silo, providing the local community with a viewpoint of the surrounding area.
A project celebrating the use of seaweed for the circular production of rum, and as a biomaterial to be used for Notpla biodegradable packaging, as well as in construction throughout the scheme.