Lasting Joy Brewery

Lasting Joy is a farm brewery and tasting room located on a large rural property in upstate New York. The project site is a 31 acre parcel of former farmland, which included an existing agricultural storage barn. The building takes full advantage of the expansive surrounding landscape through site planning and architectural design, and is firmly rooted in its Hudson Valley location. The program includes brewing facilities with staff offices, a tasting room, and a retail shop. The existing barn was repurposed as the brewery portion of the program, and a new, purpose-built tasting room space was constructed. The tasting room is composed of a glulam structural frame and CLT (cross-laminated timber) roof. The space is defined by its structural system, along with a fully glazed enclosure and exterior weathering-steel cladding. Though the enclosure is entirely glass, the interior has the character of a room made of wood as the trusses are very tightly spaced, and the CLT roof deck is left exposed. The inversely raised roof floods the space with natural light.

The goal was to create a welcoming, hospitable brewery and tasting room which would cater to all types of people, beyond just serious beer drinkers. The design prioritizes a strong connection to the outdoors and a bright, open environment by using a fully glass enclosure. With the inverted roof line the space is flooded with natural light; it is uplifting and joyful. The material palette was chosen to reflect the natural tones of the project's Hudson Valley location. In particular, the weathering steel cladding references the rusted farm equipment that now dots former farm fields throughout the region. As a contrast inside, the wood glulam frame and CLT roof are left exposed to give the space a warm character. The central tasting bar is designed to float in the center of the space, providing a more social way for guests to engage and taste beers on tap, and allowing for uninterrupted views of the property. The natural stone and wood materials of the bar were chosen in soft tones to complement the views of the landscape beyond.