WINTER HOLBEN Architecture + Design Wins Excellence in Architecture Award for Great Rhythm Brewing Co.

Landmark project in Portsmouth, NH — a growing hub of the New England beer community — is celebrated by AIANH, as the two-year-old firm completes four brewery projects in the past year, and begins work on a fifth

Great Rhythm Brewing Company Exterior

WINTER HOLBEN architecture + design, a multidisciplinary design studio with a growing reputation for excellence in work that integrates architecture, design, and branding, announce the selection of Great Rhythm Brewing Co. for a 2017 AIANH Excellence in Architecture Merit Award. The award comes during a year in which the two-year-old firm has designed five New England brewery projects including Great Rhythm Brewing Co., Woodland Farms Brewery, Stoneface Brewing Company, Loaded Question, and a fifth in progress, located in southern Maine.

In close collaboration with Great Rhythm Brewing Company, WINTER HOLBEN created the entire design vision for the adaptive re-use of an underutilized waterfront industrial building into a dynamic visitor experience and state-of-the-art brewing facility. Opened in August of 2016, Great Rhythm’s tasting room and brewery elegantly pair retail and industrial environments along the picturesque shore of Portsmouth's North Mill Pond. The project was one of ten to be recognized by the state’s most prestigious architectural awards program.

The jury “commended the choices made by the architects, in every aspect of the design,” noting that, “a few simple gestures on the front facade — super graphics, a wood entry box and vertically stacked reclaimed windows — create both an elegant composition and an unmistakable image for the brewery.”

The AIANH Excellence in Architecture Awards Program was instituted in 1983 for the purpose of providing public and professional recognition for architectural projects of design excellence by New Hampshire architects. AIANH member architects are eligible to submit projects anywhere in the world, while out-of-state member architects can submit projects that are located in New Hampshire. Each entry is judged on overall design excellence, including aesthetics, clarity, creativity, appropriate functionality, sustainability, building performance, and appropriateness with regard to fulfilling the client's program.

Key features of the Great Rhythm include a striking presence visible from over 1200 feet away, a welcoming entrance, a tasting room with views to the outdoor environment and brew house, and a visitor destination that complements the revitalized West End neighborhood of Portsmouth.

“Our objective was to reimagine an underutilized and rather ordinary space, and through adaptive re-use create a customer experience and innovative facility that aligned with the contemporary and entrepreneurial spirit of Portsmouth’s West End,” said project architect, Brandon Holben.

Holben has now been project architect for eight breweries total, including the widely acclaimed Smuttynose Brewing Company, and Tributary Brewing Company. Great Rhythm is Holben’s fourth project to be honored by the AIANH. In 2015, he was project architect for Hyder Court Housing and Smuttynose Brewing Company, and 2016 he was project architect for 3S Artspace, winning Excellence in Architecture Awards for each.

Project Team
Brandon Holben (Project Architect)
Elisa Winter Holben (Creative Director)
WINTER HOLBEN (Firm)
Summit Engineering (Structural Engineer)
Scott Thornton GRBC (Construction Manager)
Ambit Engineering (Civil Engineer)

About WINTER HOLBEN

WINTER HOLBEN is a multidisciplinary studio built around the concept of seamlessly integrating architecture, design, and branding. We are architects, thinkers, makers, designers, and curators, dedicated to creating innovative and engaging design experiences for our clients, their visitors, patrons, and employees alike. Together, we tap into more than 30 years of collective experience, technical knowledge, and strategic thinking around the built environment.

Source: WINTER HOLBEN design + architecture

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About WINTER HOLBEN architecture + design

WINTER HOLBEN is a multidisciplinary studio built around the concept of seamlessly integrating architecture, design, and branding.

WINTER HOLBEN architecture + design
7 Wallingford Square , ##2099
Kittery, ME
03904

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