Northern Distillery GATEWAY

Traverse City, Michigan

BLD refined and developed a portion of our existing ecological plan for this large-scale distillery destination to create a welcoming, multifunctional, low-maintenance and resilient gateway for a range of visitors, including small parties, corporate events, and families. BLD worked closely with Mathison Architects to integrate the design of the site’s “front door” with the conversion and expansion of an existing site structure into the distillery’s main manufacturing space and headquarters.

The site is designed to house year-round outdoor programming as well as a range of native botanicals evocative of the distillery’s products. This landscape includes a visitor center for distillery tours, cherry orchards, outdoor rooms at various scales for gathering and socializing, and outdoor service areas, including a private tasting area. A stream feature winding throughout the site provides a playful visual and auditory amenity, helps to manage site stormwater runoff, and highlights the role of the Great Lakes and the water cycle in the distillery’s history and product development.

The site utilizes vegetation, grade changes, and structures, ranging from benches to large-scale pergolas, to create a series of formal and informal outdoor “rooms” at a variety of scales. These rooms can be utilized to host a number of functions at differing scales and intensities, from informal meetups to corporate events to wedding receptions.

The project specifies the use of local materials to decrease the project's carbon footprint, including a gabion retaining wall system utilizing recycled glacial cobbles and repurposed timber for site detailing. Site circulation includes ADA access throughout as well as a perimeter trail that carries visitors through the landscape. BLD's multi-layered, environmentally conscious approach will allow for the development of an innovative and resilient landscape that shows “northern hospitality” to both guests and local ecologies.