Exile Brewing Company

Slingshot Architecture

Recognitions: 2013 Craft Awards

Project Description

Des Moines restaurateur Bobby Tursi + his family desired to create a new local brewery that would rival other Midwestern competitors. The family purchased a historic turn-of-the-20th-century warehouse to repurpose and rehabilitate. The space needed to engage and excite patrons while putting the brewing process on display. The design team delved deeply into the rehabilitation of the historic building as well as the integration of the brewery and the interior design. To differentiate the uses and spaces, materials range from sleek industrial metal and concrete to warm woods reminiscent of an old-world tavern. The interior millwork provide varying types of social experiences. The entry ceiling and walls are clad with salvaged Wyoming snow fence and form a “tube” that link the dining and beer hall spaces. The bars in the dining room and beer hall are constructed using salvaged red and white oak. The random width planks are assembled with a simple alternating corner detail to wrap the front of bar surfaces where people stand while opening up to glowing back lit solid surface where people sit. The Tursi family + the design team infused a triumphant, personal immigration story into the interior spaces + adjoining beer garden to align with the Exile theme. The brewery also creates a social space in Des Moines’ downtown Western Gateway, which bridges industrial buildings with pedestrian corridors linking to the large sculpture park. In keeping with its industrial past and artistic present, Exile beckons with a gleaming rooftop artwork—a life-size replica of the State of Liberty’s copper crown.