The Langjiu Liquor Warehouse is located in Erlan Town, Gulin County, Sichuan Province. The town of Erlan, on the banks of the Chishui River, is the birthplace of Langjiu, one of the most prestigious baijiu liquors in China. In 2009, the liquor producers began building a world-class complex consisting of a liquor factory and a storage facility. The warehouse was the first building built on the site of the future complex. Technically, the facility is an industrial facility, as it stores distilled liquor in traditional clay containers. Nevertheless, the first project within the complex is more than just industrial premises.
The creators of the building believe that the environment should be considered in the design. The storage facility is built in a valley that has several levels of elevation. In order to smooth out the differences, the architects carefully distributed the functions of the rooms on the levels and adapted them to the existing landscape as much as possible.
The architects expressed in the exterior of the building the traditional oriental culture and the culture of beverage creation, using terracotta bricks in the decoration. They symbolize the connection between beverage and clay containers, as the same material is used for both. The earthy colors and pattern of the façade also emphasize the seclusion and tranquility of the vault, and if you know and look closely, you can see traditional architectural elements characteristic of the region in certain parts.
The creators saw the building not only as a vault, but also as a place to visit for a unique experience. That’s why they built a trail that connects the main elements of the vault and loops throughout the entire area of the future complex. To play with the height differences, it was decided to make an elevated promenade, to install an observation elevator and escalator, and to add terraces along the main path: this turned out to be a walking route for visitors, allowing them to observe the complex without interfering with important parts.
The part of the building that undoubtedly attracts attention is the so-called Giant Jug. It took 150,000 bricks of terra cotta to build. The walls of the pitcher, pierced with holes, and a light window allow fresh air to flow freely into the building, creating ideal microbiological conditions for liquor storage and maintaining a safe concentration of alcoholic vapor in the room.