St Andrews Beach Brewery, Mornington Peninsula

St Andrews Beach Brewery located on the Mornington Peninsula was transformed from one of Australia’s premier horse training facilities. Now it is a culinary destination with a full-scale brewery, cellar door, tasting rooms, bar and indoor plus alfresco areas.

The brief provided a challenge and called for an innovative and unique design. The Group worked closely with the Architect and the result is rammed earth walls co-existing seamlessly alongside repurposed natural materials on site such as the stables, which are now seating zones. The earthy textures of rammed earth construction highlight the rich, raw materials creating a rich ambience to the brewery.

Whenever the old is turned new in renovations the link between the both is tied into the materials used for building. By utilising rammed earth construction, not only is it beneficial to the functional aspects of the brewery, in that it brings thermal elements, but the natural beauty of the material creates a stunning visual integration of the new to the old.

The old horse training life of the site has been given a new lease of life. Redefined as a 10-hectare brewery and hospitality tourism drawcard for the Mornington Peninsula. The brief from the client included a full paddock to plate restaurant, tank to glass brewery and self-sustaining agricultural business. And the client wished to retain the original context of the site in the new design. The Architect Ewert Leaf designed a plan that created harmonious cohesion between reimaged existing materials and new raw material, of which rammed earth played a big part.

Rammed earth, metal detailing and custom lighting mixed with reclaimed site materials created a beautiful and inviting interior. The existing site provided a rich array of materials that were able to be repurposed and integrated with the natural beauty of rammed earth, making the whole look seamless and visually stunning. The client wanted as sustainable build as possible which by using rammed earth as a new build material was made possible.

The Group has a strong local presence on the Mornington Peninsula bringing invaluable knowledge to the project.