PARALLEL 49
Street kitchen, tasting room, and beer store in
Stumptown for one of Vancouver’s pioneer craft breweries.
If you are a fan of craft beers in Vancouver, Parallel 49 Brewing is a name you almost certainly know. Parallel 49 was among the first artisan breweries to compete with major beer companies locally. Their cans, characterized by colourful street art style graphic design, immediately jump out from the shelves, and their bold flavors have become favourites for many Vancouver craft beer aficionados.
Being able to undertake a project for a client with such distinctive branding and ground-breaking vision was an opportunity we couldn’t miss, so we were thrilled to help Parallel 49 with the renovation of their East Vancouver location.
A Full-Service Restaurant and Lounge with Bold Street Style
Mercury executed on a fantastic design by Measured Architecture, a local firm that does incredible work. Their design embodies the vibrant personality expressed through Parallel 49’s labels in an in-house experience. The restaurant is characterized by industrial materials: steel, concrete, and other metals, with street-painted finishes in keeping with the brewery’s artwork.
To really capture that street aesthetic, the restaurant includes something unexpected: an indoor food truck. While it is actually a kitchen designed to look like a food truck rather than an actual food truck, it is a convincing mockup. It forms a compelling visual centerpiece for the dining and drinking experience.
A Total Renovation of an Active Brewery
Often when we take on a construction or renovation project, there is no work going on at the site other than our own. But in the case of Parallel 49, the integrated nature of the space posed a unique challenge: how to renovate a 30,000-foot structure while business proceeded as usual inside.
It was essential for Parallel 49 to continue meeting market demand for their craft beers during the renovation. To that end, the brewery operations in the back of the building continued uninterrupted while we reinforced the entire structure. That meant that we had to tackle a challenge that was not only structural, but also logistical, and had a strong human component. We had a wonderful time working with the folks at the brewery, and were proud to find ways to allow them to maintain an uninterrupted revenue stream during the project.
Along with reinforcing the building, we relocated two interior staircases outside in order to expand the restaurant, which was one of the more extensive aspects of the redesign. We also upgraded the plumbing and installed Tectum Panels vertically on the ceilings to help control noise levels while enhancing aesthetics. To connect the interior of the restaurant with the patio, our team installed large garage doors.
We had a great time working with the design team and the owners of Parallel 49 and Measured Architecture. Parallel 49 is an iconic Vancouver brand, and we were able to bring their vision to life for a space that fully captures their unique branding in a one-of-a-kind ambiance that local craft beer fans love.
