Location
Oatlands
Client
Callington Mill Distillery Pty Ltd
Year
2022
Images
Adam Gibson
Land of
Great Oyster Bay Nation
Callington Mill Distillery
A whisky distillery and immersive tourism experience in one of Tasmania's oldest towns.
Located in the rural town of Oatlands, Callington Mill Distillery is a respectful silhouette beside an adapted 1830s flour mill, a distinct point of reference among the area’s preserved Georgian sandstone buildings. Our design aims to honour Oatlands' historic narrative and involve visitors in the story of how its local whisky is made. Two gable structures are unapologetically contemporary, yet seamlessly blend with the unique heritage context.
Where worlds collide
Industry and tourism. Traditional materials and contemporary design. The result is a distillery that’s both functional and expressive — new, yet sensitive to the old.
When viewed from the courtyard of the historic mill precinct, the building sits comfortably alongside its surrounding buildings, the sandstock brick walls and corrugated metal roof directly echoing the materials of the Georgian context. The gabled form of the new distillery is also derived from historical precedents, reminiscent of utilitarian rural sheds that are common in the surrounding landscape, as well as a subtle nod to the industrial processes stored within.
Modern history
Callington Mill is the biggest whisky distillery in Tasmania to date, and houses sizable distillation and production equipment. But the building aspires to settle respectfully into the surrounding heritage site rather than overshadow it.
In the same way that Georgian buildings are free of adornment, the new distillery is minimalist in appearance. Its contemporary nature is revealed through details including floor to ceiling glass walls that line the entry and divide the gables into two pavilions.
The Angel’s Share
We wanted the tourism experience to be immersive. But as Callington Mill is a working distillery, we knew it couldn’t hinder production. In our design, visitors enter on the first floor, looking down onto the aromatic stills below.
We take them through the whisky-making process chronologically, culminating in the barrel room. Here, visitors are amidst the ‘angel’s share’ – the portion of whisky that evaporates as it matures in barrel. It’s a memorable moment, savouring the taste of whisky in the exact spot it’s made.
Team
+
GLB Construction
Still Smiths
Purcell
ERA Planning & Environment
Saltmarsh & Escobar Consulting
COVA
Green Design Group
Playstreet
pitt&sherry
Milan Prodanovic
Damien Mackey
CALLINGTON MILL DISTILLERY
Stripped-back Georgian heritage and specialist stonemasonry.
A sympathetic restoration shaped by modern tastes.
Contrast and balance, tradition and modernity. Just what a family home needs. We responded to Symmons Plains’ significance in Tasmania’s history while curating a contemporary home for the new custodians - a family of seven.
We aimed to reveal the richness of the stories that came before. Colonist John Arndell Youl built Symmons Plains in 1839 with a structure crafted using early Australian settlement techniques. Youl famously introduced the brown trout to Australia. His family lived at Symmons for seven generations until it was bought in 2011. When we demolished the building’s original concrete, it revealed an eclectic mix of bed springs and old fencing added for reinforcement; a history of its own. It felt exciting to arrive at an answer for open, contemporary living within a building essentially the antithesis of that.
2020
Tasmanian Architecture Awards
Colorbond Steel Architecture - Commendation
2020
Tasmanian Architecture Awards
Residential Architecture
Location
Oatlands
Client
Callington Mill Distillery Pty Ltd
Year
2022
Images
Adam Gibson
Land of
Great Oyster Bay Nation
Where worlds collide
Industry and tourism. Traditional materials and contemporary design. The result is a distillery that’s both functional and expressive — new, yet sensitive to the old.
When viewed from the courtyard of the historic mill precinct, the building sits comfortably alongside its surrounding buildings, the sandstock brick walls and corrugated metal roof directly echoing the materials of the Georgian context. The gabled form of the new Distillery is also derived from historical precedents, reminiscent of utilitarian rural sheds that are common in the surrounding landscape, as well as a subtle nod to the industrial processes stored within.
Modern history
Callington Mill is the biggest whisky distillery in Tasmania to date, and houses sizable distillation and production equipment. But the building aspires to settle respectfully into the surrounding heritage site rather than overshadow it.
In the same way that Georgian buildings are free of adornment, the new distillery is minimalist in appearance. Its contemporary nature is revealed through details including floor to ceiling glass walls that line the entry and divide the gables into two pavilions.
The Angel's Share
We wanted the tourism experience to be immersive. But as Callington Mill is a working distillery, we knew it couldn’t hinder production. In our design, visitors enter on the first floor, looking down onto the aromatic stills below.
We take them through the whisky-making process chronologically, culminating in the barrel room. Here, visitors are amidst the ‘angel’s share’ – the portion of whisky that evaporates as it matures in barrel. It’s a memorable moment, savouring the taste of whisky in the exact spot it’s made.
Team
+
GLB Construction
Still Smiths
Purcell
ERA Planning & Environment
Saltmarsh & Escobar Consulting
COVA
Green Design Group
Playstreet
pitt&sherry
Milan Prodanovic
Damien Mackey
