Firestone Walker Brewing Company, a craft brewery based in Paso Robles, CA, built a new 10,000 sq ft brew house at its headquarters in Paso Robles, a “turn of the century iron works” style showplace. Firestone Walker hired Harris Architecture to design the new space with the goal of increasing production capacity as well as hosting tours for visitors. The the new addition was opened to the public in May, 2017. Lighting the space was an important consideration in the design, both functionally and aesthetically.
“The whole space has a turn of the century iron works style,” said Kyle Harris, who led the project for Harris Architecture. “There is a lot of galvanized metal and exposed bolts combined with tiling and concrete floors. It’s retro with a tech edge.”
Working with lighting rep agency Prudential Lighting Products, Los Angeles, the Harris team identified Luminis’ Torx and Aramis products as the ideal solution. Twelve Torx TR2450 pendants illuminate the brew deck with decorative and functional ceiling pendants with a frosted acrylic refractor and an LED light source. Four Aramis AR148 pendants were used for additional illumination, while thirteen wall-mounted Aramis AR148 luminaires are positioned around the perimeter of the room. Most of the Aramis AR148 wall mounted sconces are in pairs – one as an uplight, and one as a downlight in each pair – providing a striking accent. The 6” cylindrical luminaires have an LED light source and deliver 2,050 lumens.
“Functionality and performance were key requirements in the lighting product selection,” said Harris. “The Torx and Aramis products from Luminis not only delivered on those requirements but also perfectly fit the industrial aesthetic in the rest of the building.”
Outside the building, Harris chose Luminis’ Syrios SY602 products, complete with LED light source and unique integral tilting mechanism for precise directional aiming. Used primarily to illuminate the Firestone Walker signage and accent the curved roof, the products really catch the eye.
Finally, Eclipse Mini EC612 products illuminate the exterior of the main entrance providing the complete lighting experience from outside to inside – a testament to the wide array of interior and exterior products offered by Luminis. The Eclipse Mini EC612 models, durable and designed to withstand extreme weather conditions, are mounted to the wall either side of the front door and on the columns supporting the covered entry.
All of the interior lighting is on a dimming channel, enabling adjustment depending on the time of day. During the night, brew house lighting is turned up to deliver 100 foot candles of light at floor level to assist with nightly cleaning. In the daytime, the lighting is scaled back to deliver 45-55 foot candles at floor level for standard use.
“We did extensive calculations and modelling to make sure the lighting would be at the right level, and that we got the light in the places it was needed,” said Harris. “Inside the brew house the lighting hits the metal and the stainless steel brew tanks, and the results are striking.”