Project: Distillery Relocation Proposal
Architect: Upward Architecture & Interiors
Location: Skagit, WA
Status: Unbuilt, 2020
This project relocates a working distillery from Seattle to a rural site in Skagit Valley, integrating large-scale industrial production into an agricultural landscape at the heart of Washington’s grain belt.
Conceived as both a production hub and a visitor destination, the campus establishes the distillery’s long-term home.
The campus spans two parcels: a 12-acre production site for distilling, bottling, storage, and guest services, and an 80-acre agricultural parcel housing rackhouses and experimental barley fields developed in collaboration with local farmers and the WSU Bread Lab.
The design separates visitor circulation from manufacturing processes while maintaining visual connections between the two. A central courtyard acts as an organizing element, allowing controlled views into production areas without disrupting operations. Program elements are arranged to optimize workflow efficiency, from grain storage through distillation and bottling, while supporting a visitor experience across tasting rooms, outdoor terraces, and trails overlooking the valley. Courtyards, breezeways, and elevated offices frame views into production, allowing guests to experience the distilling process.
My work during schematic design focused on site planning studies addressing the surrounding agricultural context, climate conditions, and the spatial requirements of the distilling process. This continued through design development and client presentations.
The project explores how industrial architecture can be both operationally efficient and publicly accessible, and how a production facility can become a long-term investment in the land and community around it.
