Let The Factory Return to The Factory to Play Craft Beer

"In the past few years, we have continued to participate in factory renovation projects, which are also an important theme in urban renewal in China. This time is a bit special. The owner, Yu Jia, is a friend I have known for many years, and her 'Playing Beer' is also my most frequent Restaurant bar. When she decided to build a craft beer factory restaurant bar in the old factory building in Jindingshan, we started the cooperation of "factory renovation" logically. This old factory building that originally belonged to Kunming Light Industry Machinery Factory has undergone many transformations. A complete factory space is divided into offices, theaters, photo studios, pet hospitals and other "complexes" of "wild growth", which is chaotic and complicated. And we only hope to rearrange the space of the factory in the simplest and most appropriate way, let the factory return to the factory, and let the 'new factory' serve daily life. Collaborating with friends on a project makes you more like a comrade-in-arms: the place where you meet becomes an office, and there are arguments or even quarrels at work, but more of sharing the joy brought about by the growth of the project. So far, the project has successfully started business. Looking back on the project process, I have a lot of feelings. Perhaps the most important thing is that during the most uncertain period, the beer playing project gave us good expectations for work and life." — Du Jie, On March 19, 2021

▲Kunming, No. 24 Jinding North Road, Play Beer Brewing Bar

Kunming Jinding Mountain is a creative park transformed from old factories. The Kunming Light Machinery Factory, built in 1946, was later transformed into a cultural and creative park. When Wan Beer found this old factory building, the complete factory building space had been split and transformed into 5 or 6 small independent spaces by different sub-lessants. The problem we need to solve is how to rearrange the spatial relationship so that it can restore the continuous and complete characteristics of the original factory space, and create a space suitable for brewing, storing beer, and also operating.

▲The internal condition of the original factory building

▲Remove the original messy partition ©Suzao

▲Dining bar area on the first floor after renovation©Suzao

▲The stair space from the first floor to the second floor after rennovation©Suzao

▲The restaurant and event space on the second floor (to be opened), emphasizing the space and light of the old factory ©Suzao

▲On the original partition wall, we adjusted and reinforced the openings in the inner wall to connect the moving lines in the space, and built a transparent plank road to create a streamline that guides consumers to actively visit the production area. © Suzao

▲Create new traffic flow ©Suzao

▲The production area and the consumption area are separated by glass. Against the background of the kiln bricks of the old factory building, the production space becomes the visual focus of the guest's visit and the interior space, highlighting the atmosphere of the craft beer factory store. © Suzao

▲The 53-meter-long bar counter extends from the interior to the yard, and the overall watered orange color, combined with the rotating high stool, continues from the interior to the entrance to the bathroom on the second floor. We encourage flexible and spontaneous activity and conversation. © Suzao

▲The stainless steel texture at the entrance is polished by hand to create dynamic light and shadow effect. © Suzao

Factory transformation is not necessarily a waste of the old to create a new, we hope that new content and new things can be integrated here. In such a space, it is like an old man receiving new guests with a smile. And when the guests had a good time, put on their coats and left, looking back at the room at dusk, the tall red brick wall after the noise faded seemed to return to 1946 in the night: a factory started production in full swing, carrying yearning for life.