Cracking One Open: Building Inside Out, A Cooperative Distillery In Georgetown.

Abstract

This thesis involves the design of a cooperative distillery on the former site of the Rainier Cold Storage building, which was originally part of the large complex of buildings comprising the Seattle Brewing & Malting Company, constructed in the early 1900's. The main goal is to explore how the built environment can support or encourage the creation of a kinetic city. In so doing, this thesis poses a number of important questions, such as: Can such a building not only achieve its function as a community generator internally, but reach out as well? How can architecture act as an armature for temporal uses? The program of a cooperative distillery, a place where one has hands-on access to the process of making craft spirits from local ingredients, along with spaces to consume and enjoy the product, is chosen as a vehicle that will activate the space around the clock, connecting to the local population's interests and the site's history. The programming and architecture of the building will encourage and support temporal activities such as craft and farmer's markets, outdoor dining, and entertainment, thereby expanding the idea of a kinetic city.