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New look for Menabrea: renovation of oldest brewery in Italy

In Biella (Italy), you will find Birra Menabrea. This Italian beer brewery has been in operation since 1846 and is a fantastic example of industrial archaeology. The production facility of the brewery is located in the historic centre of Biella and retains the charm of tradition. The large production site comprises all the activities necessary for the production of beer, up to the final stages of bottling and packaging.

Renovating an old brewery

How can you modernise an old production facility, while preserving its historical elements and meeting the desire to minimize the environmental impact? That was the challenge the architects Pier Gianni Tonetti, Ilaria Tonetti and Francesca Petri were faced with. Both the newly built addition and the existing buildings, which were renovated, have been redesigned to convey a message of innovation and modernity. Using the special features of its surroundings, the architects opted for a building that, in compliance with the dimensional limits imposed by the regulations, would seamlessly fit in with the existing skyline, yet have its own unique and modern identity.

Used products:

Rockpanel Chameleon (viola chiaro – marrone chiaro) e Rockpanel Colours

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The architects’ first objective was to create a new brewhouse with a high-performance system, able to optimise production and drastically reduce water consumption and CO2 emissions. The second objective was to optimise existing spaces and create a functional, safe and aesthetically pleasant environment.

All these objectives had to be achieved while respecting the existing structures. The architectural idea was to maintain the existing brick walls, while bringing more light to the building by means of transparent walls on the top floor.

Playing with light

The innovative spirit of the project had to be visible at first glance. The exterior of the brewery needed to have significant symbolic value: in addition to the historical logo of the company, it was necessary to find an element that clearly reflected the product being created inside, referring to the colour and transparency of the beer.

After careful analysis of the possible options available on the market, the architects opted for Rockpanel Chameleon facade cladding, as this material perfectly met the design needs and guaranteed the aesthetic effect that was to be achieved. Among the many colours available, Light purple - Light brown was considered most suitable to create the image of beer.

In addition to reflecting the colour of beer, the unique iridescent appearance of the panels, which depends on the time of day and the incidence of light, gives the entire building a dynamic look, which is always different in the eye of the beholder.

The contrast between the large facade in the colour of beer and the top floor, equipped with transparent and cantilevered windows, brings to mind the transparency of a beer mug. Through the windows, the most significant part of the new system is clearly visible from the outside. You can see the beer barrels and steel boilers, which merge into a play of light that gradually fades into the colour of the sky that filters through the skylights.

Inside the building, Rockpanel Colours facade cladding was used with a finish of that specific shade to recreate the effect of a brick wall.

Case Study Italy Menabrea

Project information

Project: Renovation of brewery Menabrea
Location: Biella, Italy
Completion year: 2019
Product: Rockpanel Chameleon (Light Purple – Light Brown) & Rockpanel Colours
Building owner: Menabrea Beer S.p.A.
Construction works: Marangon s.n.c.
Architectural design: Pier Gianni Tonetti, Francesca Petri & Ilaria Tonetti

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Used products:

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Rockpanel Colours

Imagine the freedom of choosing any colour you like from an artist’s palette and then painting your building in the perfect tone of your choice. That’s the choice you have with the Rockpanel Colours range.

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Rockpanel Chameleon

Take a look from ever angle, it’s never the same twice – that’s the power of the ever changing Rockpanel Chameleon cladding board. Affected by natural light or artistic spots and the angle and height viewed – your vision becomes an eye catcher, ever changing and always inspiring.

We manufacture board material mostly used in ventilated constructions, for facade cladding, roof detailing, soffits and fascias.