A Sake Brewery Addition
Nacasa & partners, a-um

A Sake Brewery Addition

a-um as Architects

Located in the midst of rice fields at the foothill of Mt. Sefuri in Itoshima-area, Fukuoka, Japan, SHIRAITO Sake-Brewery has marked its 160th brewing year in 2015, when the new additional architecture has completed. 


In the site, this complex is composed with number of buildings. This project was to design a new addition (partially re-construction) to its complex. Brewery workers move between building to building along its process of sake-making. The purpose was to obtain more space and to add new facilities to enhance the quality of their product. Most of the existing buildings in the site are very old and traditional. The “main” building is more than 100 years old. One of the task in design process was to connect historical buildings and the new addition not only functionally, but, of course, visually. 


The traditional Japanese building at the site is very iconic.The concept of the new was to make a new tradition of Sake brewery. Since the traditional complex creates its “silhouette” with the triangular roof shape, overlapped, the new volumed was intended to be overlapped with triangular-shaped volume to cast new “silhouette” in modern way. And the concrete surface and structure possess the strong feeling visually and spatially, which the old one also has. 


the new addition is constructed with cast-in-place concrete structure and the entire building is covered with its concrete texture as exterior and interior finish. Since the program, sake brewery, requires sunlight-less space in order to protect product from sunlight, most of the rooms have no window, except the staff room and the washing room. And this creates the massive figure, which is iconic as a Sake brewery.


The new and the old are structurally disconnected while its function connect the entire space as one complex. 

Project Credits
Architects
General contractor
Product Spec Sheet

ElementBrand
ManufacturersTOTO
ManufacturersABC Trading
ManufacturersAcor
Product Spec Sheet
Manufacturers
by TOTO
Manufacturers
Manufacturers
by Acor
Project Spotlight
Product Spotlight
News
UNStudio’s new Chongqing development balances demand for high-rise living with health and well-being of residents
10 Feb 2025 News
UNStudio’s new Chongqing development balances demand for high-rise living with health and well-being of residents

International architecture and design practice UNStudio has completed 18T Mansion, a high-rise resid... More

Archello houses of the month - January 2025
5 Feb 2025 News
Archello houses of the month - January 2025

Archello has selected its houses of the month for January 2025. This list showcases 20 of the m... More

Polish Embassy in Berlin by JEMS Architekci is a “testament to architectural diplomacy”
4 Feb 2025 News
Polish Embassy in Berlin by JEMS Architekci is a “testament to architectural diplomacy”

A project that was thirteen years in the making, the new Polish Embassy in Berlin officially opened... More

Ika.architekti builds fun and functional DIY sauna in Brno
31 Jan 2025 News
Ika.architekti builds fun and functional DIY sauna in Brno

Brno-based ika.architekti has built an upcycled sauna using an array of old materials. The project i... More

Francine Houben, Isabel Van Haute, Stephan Chevalier and DaeWha Kang named as Archello Awards 2025 jurors
27 Jan 2025 Archello Awards
Francine Houben, Isabel Van Haute, Stephan Chevalier and DaeWha Kang named as Archello Awards 2025 jurors

Archello is pleased to announce the first group of its esteemed jurors for the newly launched Archel... More

HGAA expands restaurant in Bãi Cháy with a building that embraces nature
27 Jan 2025 News
HGAA expands restaurant in Bãi Cháy with a building that embraces nature

Vietnamese architectural studio HGAA was included in Archello’s list of the 25 best architectu... More

Mole Architects elevates “mundane” 1960s English bungalow with new extension
27 Jan 2025 News
Mole Architects elevates “mundane” 1960s English bungalow with new extension

Cambridge-based architectural studio Mole Architects has completed the upgrade and extension of an e... More

New Samuel Paty School in Béziers plays with materiality
21 Jan 2025 News
New Samuel Paty School in Béziers plays with materiality

Paris-based ateliers O-S architectes (Vincent Baur, Guillaume Colboc, and Gaël Le Nouëne)... More