The Pike Brewery Company Expansion-Tankard and Tun Restaurant
The owners of Pike Brewing Company needed to expand their brewing operations and wanted to also fulfill their dream of creating a new restaurant, in the Pike Place Market, that paired local seafood with their award-winning craft beers. During early design development, the ownership group evaluated contractors that had experience working on “team-build”/negotiated projects with a reputation for high quality craftsmanship. One of their most important evaluation criteria was to select a contractor that could recommend creative cost saving ideas while at the same time preserve and feature the intricate detailing that would make their project special. After visiting several similar MRJ projects, the ownership selected MRJ Constructors in May of 2016.
During the early stages of the project, MRJ Constructors partnered with the Pike Brewery Company team, Bumgardner (Architects) and KPFF (Structural Engineers) to provide extensive value engineering and budget analysis to help reduce costs to better fit the client's financial goals. After several months of preconstruction services and a few design and budget iterations, construction of the new space began in December 2016.
MRJ teamed up with great subcontractors and suppliers to create a great space for Pike Brewing Company. Attention to detail and quality were a priority and can be seen throughout the finished restaurant and brewery. The architectural design integrated historic features and finishes of the Pike Place Market with modern finishes and architectural detailing using an assortment of architectural steel and wood finishes. Reclaimed wood posts, wood floors and countertops were locally sourced and installed to enhance the existing architecture.
As part of the expansion of their brewing capacity, MRJ hoisted and installed six newly fabricated 16-foot tall fermentation tanks through an existing window opening from Post Alley (see photos above). A custom steel "brewer's bridge" was erected three floor levels above the brewery to provide upper level views of the new fermentation tanks and brewery operations. Each end of the bridge attaches to a new steel spiral staircase crafted by an artisan steel fabricator.
MRJ personnel and its subcontractors rose to the occasion to face the numerous challenges presented by the extremely tight and congested work area. One of the biggest challenges was to safely build and finish the project within a fully occupied space while the brewery and pub restaurant below it remained fully open for business during the busiest time of the year at the Pike Place Market.
