WILD TURKEY BOURBON VISITOR CENTER COMPETITION DESIGN
IN THE MIDST OF UNVEILING BOLD NEW BRANDING FOR A DECADES-OLD, WELL-REGARDED LIQUOR, THE CLIENT WAS DETERMINED TO PROVIDE AN UNPRECEDENTED TOURIST EXPERIENCE TO THE TENS OF THOUSANDS VISITING EACH YEAR. RATHER THAN REPLICATE THE MORE TRADITION SOAKED, KITSCH-DRIVEN AMBIANCE OF THEIR NEARBY COMPETITORS, THE SOLUTION INVESTED ITS MODEST BUDGET ON PUSHING VISITORS LITERALLY PAST THE EDGE OF THIS BREATHTAKING BLUFF OVERLOOKING THE RIVER BELOW, AND MAKES THE BUILDING A SIGN BOARD ALONG THE FORESTED HILLSIDE. THE BUILDING’S BOX TRUSS STRUCTURE EVOKES THE NEARBY HISTORIC TRAIN BRIDGE, AND IS STABILIZED BY A PRECAST CONCRETE ROOF DECK THAT COUNTERBALANCES THE CANTILEVER WHILE PROVIDING HIGH THERMAL MASS TO REDUCE THE HEATING AND COOLING REQUIREMENTS. MULTIFUNCTION INTERIOR SPACES ARE ENCLOSED WITH SIMPLE MATERIAL PLANES THAT REFERENCE THE ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURING PROCESS, WHILE SALVAGED MATERIALS FROM THE FACTORY BECOME THE FEATURED DETAILS. PROGRAM SPACES WERE OVERLAPPED AND PULLED APART TO SHAPE THE VISITOR EXPERIENCE WHILE CREATING THREE DISTINCT SPACES THAT COULD BE USED FOR MULTIPLE EVENTS SIMULTANEOUSLY.