轻触即亮：莫德斯啤酒厂丨澳大利亚纽卡斯尔丨Prevalent

It’s not often that the word ‘tranquil’ comes to mind when describing a brewery, yet for this reimagined post-war shed, Sydney-based Prevalent managed to execute a certain serenity set within the Australian landscape. Centred around the need of the user and driven by an abundant allowance of light, Modus Brewery in Newcastle’s Merewether goes beyond the traditional and suggests the transformational. It also just looks extremely cool.

Negotiating the existing portal frame as a base, the infill of recycled polycarbonate sheets revealed the very modus operandi of the brewery, with the transparency of the planes leading to a clear visual of the tanks and services inserted behind. What’s more, it’s the operability of the planes and the subsequent shapeshifting that users of the building can drive.

On a rain-filled day, it might become a refuge and protection from the weather, the subtle patter of the raindrops forming a soundtrack to your Sunday. If the sun is out, so are the walls, and guests are encouraged to move the frames aside to let in the light and enjoy the indoor-outdoor flexibility provided by the building typology.

Speaking to the palette and power of the Australian landscape, the sand floor and the rammed earth walls, although juxtaposing in texture and weight to the polycarbonate envelope, work together in a symbiosis to create an atmosphere of the outdoors/indoors.

The incision of native plant beds in the sand floor cuts through any potential tension or hardness the material might have created, with a subliminal message that reads nature as much stronger than any made-made element. As if a modern-day greenhouse, the shed provides ample height for the native trees to grow and be nurtured inside, suggesting that they existed here long before the shed did and will do so long after.

The continuation of the locally sourced rammed earth walls in the bathrooms complements the custom clay wall tiles branded with the Modus Brewing logo. This pattern formalises the interaction between the natural and the new and allows for subtle branding rather than anything too overt, which is a refreshing take on what has been done traditionally.

Architect Ben Berwick and his team at Prevalent have created a space that suggests the physical manifestation of air, oxygen, and other life-giving forces at Modus Merewether. They have made rigid materials flexible in their programming of spaces and brought the outdoors in, establishing a natural hierarchy that serves as a reminder as to who’s boss. And what’s more, they have made brewing beer beautiful.

[Images courtesy of Prevalent. Photography by Jan Vranovsky.]