Designing the Client Experience at the Fast Friends Brewery
Our client, Do Love Live, retained Weston & Sampson as part of a team along with Shelton Architecture to design a unique client experience at their Fast Friends Brewery in Austin, Texas. Located along Route I-35 six miles from the city center, the site includes “hill country” grass and trees that slope down to a creek. In an effort to bring their brand of “relentless optimism” to the brewing industry, Do Love Live’s vision was to create a place not just for tasting craft beer, but also one for making new experiences.
To create a desired diversity of experiences, our team’s design focuses on three main elements: the grand entry, the backyard beer garden, and a wooded events area towards the lower edge of the site that protects and celebrates a stand of old growth Heritage Oak trees in the new design. In each of these spaces, the landscape design blurs the boundary between built and found conditions, transforming this 2 ½-acre lot into a unique venue for sipping brews, connecting with one another, and enjoying views.
The new brewery includes an entry plaza that serves double duty as both a private events space and a fitness area. It includes an adventure path system that allows guests to roam the grounds, seating and paths that highlight existing heritage trees, and a beer garden with an events stage, outdoor games, a private events deck, and amphitheater seating. There is also a small orchard, the fruits of which will be incorporated into the brewery’s menu.