Slaughterhouses – Dezeen https://www.dezeen.com architecture and design magazine Tue, 07 May 2024 16:34:47 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.2.2 Six former slaughterhouses reimagined for new purposes https://www.dezeen.com/2024/05/07/slaughterhouse-conversions-roundup/ https://www.dezeen.com/2024/05/07/slaughterhouse-conversions-roundup/#disqus_thread Tue, 07 May 2024 10:00:14 +0000 https://admin.dezeen.com/?p=2067853 The slaughterhouses and abattoirs in this roundup, originally built for slaughtering animals, have been transformed into galleries, breweries and cooking schools. Some of the examples have had considerable alterations to make them suited for their new purpose, while others retain original features – such as white-tiled walls and metal bars – in a nod to their

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Brewery by Pihlmann Architects

The slaughterhouses and abattoirs in this roundup, originally built for slaughtering animals, have been transformed into galleries, breweries and cooking schools.

Some of the examples have had considerable alterations to make them suited for their new purpose, while others retain original features – such as white-tiled walls and metal bars – in a nod to their industrial past.

From Spain and Denmark to the United Arab Emirates, here are six slaughterhouse conversions from the Dezeen archive:


Rotating concrete wall at PLATO Contemporary Art Gallery by KWK Promes

Plato Contemporary Art Gallery, Czech Republic, by KWK Promes

Architecture studio KWK Promes converted a 19th-century slaughterhouse in the Czech Republic into the Plato Contemporary Art Gallery, adding a concrete extension and rotating walls with impressions of windows.

After decades of being in disrepair, the studio's transformation of the heritage-protected building features white exhibition spaces that open up to the surrounding gardens.

Find out more about Plato Contemporary Art Gallery ›


Anthropocene Museum 9.0 by Cave Bureau at Sharjah Architecture Triennial
Photo by Edmund Sumner

Anthropocene Museum 9.0, United Arab Emirates, by Cave Bureau

For the latest Sharjah Architecture Triennial, Kenyan architectural studio Cave Bureau transformed the still-functioning Old Sharjah Slaughterhouse into the Anthropocene Museum 9.0, guiding visitors along the route taken by animals for slaughter.

Guests entered through the gates, then travelled through the pens and up a ramp leading to the slaughterhouse and processing rooms, passing installations that focused on issues surrounding decolonialisation and decarbonisation.

Find out more about Anthropocene Museum 9.0 ›


Brewery by Pihlmann Architects
Photo by Hampus Berndtson

ÅBEN brewery, Denmark, by Pihlmann Architects

Local studio Pihlmann Architects created the ÅBEN brewery in Copenhagen inside a former slaughterhouse, hanging bulbous steel tanks where carcasses were once suspended.

Originally built in 1932, Pihlmann Architects restored most of the original features, including white wall tiles, and added semitransparent curtains to separate dining spaces.

Find out more about ÅBEN brewery ›


Converted slaughterhouse in Spain
Photo by Óscar Miguel Ares Álvarez

Resin Interpretation Centre, Spain, by Óscar Miguel Ares Álvarez

Architect Óscar Miguel Ares Álvarez overhauled a slaughterhouse in a Spanish village by wrapping it in a windowless white facade, converting it into the Resin Interpretation Centre gallery and community centre.

Ares Álvarez retained the shape of the former slaughterhouse, which has a similar silhouette to its neighbouring buildings, but covered it in uniform white to make it stand out.

Find out more about the Resin Interpretation Centre ›


Brick Textiles installation in a slaughterhouse

Brick Textiles installation, Italy, by Natural Material Studio and Zuzanna Skurka

At last year's Milan design week, Copenhagen-based Natural Material Studio and designer Zuzanna Skurka created an installation of soft bio textiles in a former abattoir in Porta Vittoria.

Made from bricks repurposed from demolition sites, the red-hued Brick Textiles were cut into slabs and suspended from metal bars where meat was once hung.

Find out more about Brick Textiles installation ›


Professional Cooking School in former slaughterhouse
Photo by Fernando Alda

Professional Cooking School, Spain, by Sol89

Outdoor paddocks and a courtyard used for storing livestock in this nineteenth-century slaughterhouse were converted into kitchens and classrooms for the Professional Cooking School in Medina-Sidonia, Spain.

Designed by Spanish architecture studio Sol89, the extension's asymmetric roofs were clad in red ceramics, while white-painted walls surround the perimeter.

Find out more about Professional Cooking School ›

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KWK Promes transforms slaughterhouse into art gallery with rotating walls https://www.dezeen.com/2024/04/28/plato-contemporary-art-gallery-kwk-promes/ https://www.dezeen.com/2024/04/28/plato-contemporary-art-gallery-kwk-promes/#disqus_thread Sun, 28 Apr 2024 10:00:41 +0000 https://admin.dezeen.com/?p=2058293 Architecture studio KWK Promes has converted a slaughterhouse in the Czech Republic into Plato Contemporary Art Gallery, with exhibition spaces lined with rotating concrete walls. Located in Ostrava, the original heritage-protected slaughterhouse building dates back to the 19th century, but after decades of disuse, it had become dilapidated and partially collapsed. Tasked with adapting the

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Rotating concrete wall at PLATO Contemporary Art Gallery by KWK Promes

Architecture studio KWK Promes has converted a slaughterhouse in the Czech Republic into Plato Contemporary Art Gallery, with exhibition spaces lined with rotating concrete walls.

Located in Ostrava, the original heritage-protected slaughterhouse building dates back to the 19th century, but after decades of disuse, it had become dilapidated and partially collapsed.

Plato Contemporary Art Gallery by KWK Promes
KWK Promes has transformed a slaughterhouse into an art gallery

Tasked with adapting the structure into an art gallery, KWK Promes added an extension and concrete infills that contrast the existing sooty brickwork but mimic its ornamentation.

These additions include six large rotating walls, three of which provide entry to Plato Contemporary Art Gallery and three that allow its exhibition spaces to be opened to the surroundings.

Exterior of the Plato Contemporary Art Gallery by KWK Promes
Rotating concrete walls open the galleries to the surrounding park

"We introduced a solution that makes art more democratic," explained the studio.

"The main idea of the project is based on preserving the functionality of the openings as shortcuts connecting the building to the city," it added. "This has provided artists and curators with entirely new exhibition possibilities and allows art to literally 'go out' into the space around the building."

Plato Contemporary Art Gallery by KWK Promes
A new wing has been added to the building

Plato Contemporary Art Gallery's rotating walls create two entrances on either side of the building, leading into a central reception, ticket office and cafe area.

The four exhibition halls each sit on the ground floor around the edges of the building, allowing them to benefit from natural light and a connection to the surrounding park.

The new wing at the building's southern end replaces a section of the original slaughterhouse that collapsed during the renovation but was needed by the gallery to meet its spatial requirements.

Inside, it contains an additional exhibition hall with offices above, finished externally with a blind concrete facade decorated with the impressions of windows, sills and lintels to echo the rotating doors.

On the first floor, this wing connects to a small group of rooms for visiting guests and a space for the gallery's educational programme.

Concrete extension to a former slaughterhouse in the Czech Republic
Impressions of windows punctuate the new wing's concrete facades

"Following extensive discussions, we made the decision to rebuild using new materials, mirroring the approach we took with the rotating gates," the studio told Dezeen.

"Our objective was to preserve the conceptual coherence of the entire project, clearly delineating between historical elements and contemporary interventions."

PLATO Contemporary Art Gallery by KWK Promes
The new wing replaces part of the slaughterhouse that had collapsed

While the original brickwork has been left visible internally in the circulation areas, the galleries have been reinsulated and lined with lime plaster, with deep reveals created for the building's numerous small arched windows.

"The deteriorated bricks have been mostly replenished with those recovered from a collapsed section of the building, [and] the new glazing has a ceramic screen print, making it appear dark and dull, attenuating the light in the galleries," said KWK Promes.

White art gallery with a rotating wall
The gallery contains four exhibition halls

Surrounding Plato Contemporary Art Gallery, KWK Promes landscaped a park with trees, flower meadows and a small pool of water, with a gravel terrace around the gallery connecting to a series of paths.

"Initially, we imagined a paved surface for artistic activities, but as we got to know Ostrava better, we realised that the place was more in need of attractive green space for residents," explained the studio.

"The contaminated soil there has been rehabilitated and replaced by a biodiverse park with water-permeable floors, flower meadows and with retention basins."

Interior of the a former slaughterhouse transformed by KWK Promes
Original brickwork is exposed in some areas

KWK Promes is a Polish architecture studio founded in Katowice in 1999 by Robert Konieczny and Marlena Wolnik. Its other recent projects include the white-concrete House on the Road and Quadrant House, which features a rotating living space.

Plato Contemporary Art Gallery was recently named one of seven finalists in this year's Mies van der Rohe Award for Europe's best new building.

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Cave Bureau creates Anthropocene Museum in Sharjah slaughterhouse https://www.dezeen.com/2024/01/09/cave-bureau-anthropocene-museum-sharjah-architecture-triennial/ https://www.dezeen.com/2024/01/09/cave-bureau-anthropocene-museum-sharjah-architecture-triennial/#disqus_thread Tue, 09 Jan 2024 11:00:48 +0000 https://admin.dezeen.com/?p=2014815 Kenyan architectural studio Cave Bureau has transformed the Old Sharjah Slaughterhouse into the Anthropocene Museum 9.0 as part of the Sharjah Architecture Triennial. Cave Bureau chose a still-functioning slaughterhouse in central Sharjah as the home of the ninth edition of its roaming Anthropocene Museum. "We have welcomed artists and creatives to be in the museum, so

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Anthropocene Museum 9.0 by Cave Bureau at Sharjah Architecture Triennial

Kenyan architectural studio Cave Bureau has transformed the Old Sharjah Slaughterhouse into the Anthropocene Museum 9.0 as part of the Sharjah Architecture Triennial.

Cave Bureau chose a still-functioning slaughterhouse in central Sharjah as the home of the ninth edition of its roaming Anthropocene Museum.

"We have welcomed artists and creatives to be in the museum, so you walk through a working slaughterhouse, but also a museum," Cave Bureau co-founder Kabage Karanja told Dezeen.

Anthropocene Museum 9.0 by Cave Bureau at Sharjah Architecture Triennial
The Anthropocene Museum was located in a slaughterhouse

"We were invited to select a site in any part of the city of Sharjah and make an intervention," explained Karanja.

"We chose the Old Sharjah Slaughterhouse, as an extension of the Sharjah Architecture Triennial's strategy to embed an exhibition program within the fabric of the city," he continued.

"A powerful ambition that we refer to as an act of reverse futurism, where they co-opt both old and new neglected buildings of the city as a cultural canvas to trigger new regenerative interventions that can spur the city's growth, through a rich exchange of ideas and urban experiments."

Anthropocene Museum 9.0 by Cave Bureau at Sharjah Architecture Triennial
Visitors enter through the animal pens

Visitors travel through the museum following the route that animals take when being processed through the slaughterhouse.

First, they enter through the gates, where a neon sign saying "slaughterhouse tour" was erected, before entering the pens and then travelling up a ramp into the slaughterhouse and processing rooms.

Slaughterhouse in Sharjah
The spaces feature various works of art

"The concept of our installation was the adaptation and tour of Sharjah's old slaughterhouse, whose primary protagonists are the animals — cows, goats, sheep, and camels — consumed in the city; often without thought of their origins or how they are processed," explained Karanja.

"The audience is corralled through an ever-present, but seldom reflected upon municipal event space, in a building that is now only intermittently used."

Audiovisual work showing animal slaughter
There were several audio-visual works

Cave Bureau's Anthropocene Museum creates installations and exhibits examining issues surrounding decolonialisation and decarbonisation that are focused on "generating architectural modes of healing".

The studio recently created an Anthropocene Museum exhibition for the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Denmark.

The latest edition of the museum aims to draw attention to the environmental impact of meat rearing and the process of commodification and commercialisation.

"The significance of the slaughterhouse is that it sits outside the public's consciousness and yet looking back at our early homosapien heritage, this was always intertwined," said Karanja.

"On a global scale, man-induced livestock proliferation has constituted the greatest biomass of mammalian life on earth, with animals a commodity that is bought and sold to the highest bidder," he continued.

"In equal and potent measure, human beings have been commodified through capitalism, bought and sold to the highest consumerist bidder. A reference to a recent, near-forgotten past also emerges – enslaved Africans were led from the Indian Ocean shores by Arab merchants to the Middle East, and indeed the Emirates, like livestock."

Anthropocene Museum 9.0 by Cave Bureau at Sharjah Architecture Triennial
It is the ninth edition of the Anthropocene Museum

Within the slaughterhouse, Cave Bureau curated a series of artists within the different spaces usually used for processing the meat.

The co-curated space contained painting, photography, sculpture, installation, sound and virtual reality by artists including Joseph Kamaru KMRU, Densu Moseti, James Muriuki, Beatrice Wanjiku, Jay Patel, and Ogeto Nyamwaya.

The space also included a work called Utility of Being by Adrian Pepe that was commissioned directly by the Sharjah Architecture Triennial.

Anthropocene Museum 9.0 by Cave Bureau at Sharjah Architecture Triennial
The works are arranged around the slaughterhouse machinery

"For the first time we had the opportunity to expand the bounds of museology, by producing a co-curated program, with multiple artist works within a raw municipal and yet culturally active space that would not normally be perceived as a museum," explained Karanja.

"The words of prolific thinkers were laser printed on cowhide leather, such as Edouard Glissant where in the book Archipelago he says, 'In the end, the idea is to bring the world into contact with the world, to bring some of the world's places into contact with others… the works of art must create the museum rather than the museum creating the works of art'."

Maps printed on cow hide leather
Maps were printed on cowhide leather

Karanja hopes that this version of the museum will encourage people to reconsider the shifting nature of cities.

"We hope visitors will view the ever-shifting built landscape of cities and by extension life, as an opportunity for reversed notions of growth, through introspection, and spiritual reconnection," he said.

"By taking visitors into a different and often uncomfortable space such as this, can trigger a broader planetary consciousness, that attempts to apprehend our state of existence in the world today without us building almost anything at all to express that."

This is the second edition of the Sharjah Architecture Triennial. It was curated by Nigerian architect Tosin Oshinowo who explained the theme of scarcity in a recent interview with Dezeen. We rounded up 12 intriguing pavilions and installations from the event.

The photography is by Edmund Sumner.

Sharjah Architecture Triennial 2023 takes place from 11 November 2023 to 10 March 2024 at various locations across Sharjah. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.

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Pihlmann Architects creates sleek brewery in former Copenhagen slaughterhouse https://www.dezeen.com/2023/03/02/brewery-pihlmann-architects-aben-slaughterhouse/ https://www.dezeen.com/2023/03/02/brewery-pihlmann-architects-aben-slaughterhouse/#disqus_thread Thu, 02 Mar 2023 06:00:16 +0000 https://admin.dezeen.com/?p=1901485 Bulbous steel tanks hang from where carcasses used to be suspended at the ÅBEN brewery in Copenhagen, which local studio Pihlmann Architects transformed from a slaughterhouse into a restaurant and bar. Located in Copenhagen's Meatpacking District, the brewery is housed in a 1932 butchery that has been used for various commercial activities since the early

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Brewery by Pihlmann Architects

Bulbous steel tanks hang from where carcasses used to be suspended at the ÅBEN brewery in Copenhagen, which local studio Pihlmann Architects transformed from a slaughterhouse into a restaurant and bar.

Located in Copenhagen's Meatpacking District, the brewery is housed in a 1932 butchery that has been used for various commercial activities since the early 1990s.

Blue-rimmed doors at ÅBEN brewery designed by Pihlmann Architects
Visitors enter ÅBEN through the building's original blue-rimmed doors

Pihlmann Architects maintained and restored many of the slaughterhouse's original features as part of the renovation for Danish beer company ÅBEN.

"Turning the space back into a food production facility, with all the pragmatic measures we had to keep in mind, generated our ideas from the very beginning," studio founder Søren Pihlmann told Dezeen. "Bringing back the authentic character of the space was key."

Conical steel fermentation tanks within ÅBEN brewery in Copenhagen
Conical steel fermentation vessels were suspended where carcasses used to hang

Arranged across one open-plan level, the brewery features the original gridded rail system from which 980 carcasses used to hang when the space was a slaughterhouse.

Pihlmann Architects replaced the carcasses with conical fermentation tanks that are reached via a low-hanging galvanised steel walkway – also suspended from the listed building's original sawtooth roof.

White tiles lining the walls of ÅBEN brewery in a former slaughterhouse
Pihlmann Architects was led by the building's industrial history

Geometric clusters of white wall tiles that have been preserved since the 1930s were also kept in place, echoing the brewery's original purpose.

"Bringing the key elements back to a worthy condition was more of a task than deciding on which [elements] to keep," noted Pihlmann.

Semitransparent curtains within brewery designed by Pihlmann Architects
Semitransparent curtains divide spaces and control acoustics

Spaces are delineated by slaughterhouse-style semitransparent curtains, which cloak various dining areas that are positioned around the restaurant's central open kitchen where visitors can experience the brewing process up close.

Furniture was kept simple and "unfussy" in order to emphasise the restaurant's industrial elements, including angular chairs and bar stools finished in aluminium and wood.

"The [material and colour] palettes are true to function on the one hand and [true to] history on the other," said Pihlmann.

Crimson red flooring runs throughout the brewery, which was in place when the building was purchased. It was maintained to add warmth to the otherwise clinical interiors.

At night, the restaurant's electric light absorbs this colour and reflects from the fermentation tanks, creating a more intimate environment.

Central open kitchen within ÅBEN brewery
A central open kitchen is flanked by bar stools

Making the food production processes visible was at the core of the design concept, according to the architecture studio.

"It's not only about the preparation of the food, it's more about the brewing taking place," continued Pihlmann.

"The space which produces thousands of litres every day is open for everyone to step into, and actually see how and where the product they consume is produced."

"Today, we are so detached from what we consume, we just go to the supermarket and pick it up from the cold counter having no clue where it's coming from," he added.

"I'm not that naive to think that ÅBEN alone will change anything, but I'm convinced that it's important to change this detachment."

Steel fermentation tank within brewery in Copenhagen
The slaughterhouse's original white tiles were preserved

Pihlmann described his favourite aspect of the project as "how the elements we've added both submit to and utilise the existing space, not just visually but also through their structural function".

"The building is built to carry a huge load," he reflected. "Back then, it was tonnes of dead meat. Today, it's enormous serving tanks from the ceiling."

Founded in 2021, Pihlmann Architects was included in our list of 15 up-and-coming Copenhagen architecture studios compiled to mark the city being named UNESCO-UIA World Capital of Architecture for 2023.

Previous slaughterhouse conversions include a training school for chefs in Spain that was once used to butcher meat and a cultural centre in Portugal that is currently being developed by Kengo Kuma and OODA.

The photography is by Hampus Berndtson.

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Óscar Miguel Ares Álvarez converts Spanish slaughterhouse into community centre https://www.dezeen.com/2014/09/18/resin-interpretation-centre-spain-gallery-community-centre-oscar-miguel-ares-alvarez/ https://www.dezeen.com/2014/09/18/resin-interpretation-centre-spain-gallery-community-centre-oscar-miguel-ares-alvarez/#disqus_thread Thu, 18 Sep 2014 21:00:24 +0000 http://admin.dezeen.com/?p=547385 Architect Óscar Miguel Ares Álvarez added a windowless white facade to this former slaughterhouse in a Spanish village, as part of its conversion into a gallery and community centre (+ slideshow). Resin Interpretation Centre was designed by Óscar Miguel Ares Álvarez to stand out amongst other buildings in the village of Traspinedo in the municipality of

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Resin Interpretation Centre by Óscar Miguel Ares Álvarez

Architect Óscar Miguel Ares Álvarez added a windowless white facade to this former slaughterhouse in a Spanish village, as part of its conversion into a gallery and community centre (+ slideshow).

Resin Interpretation Centre by Óscar Miguel Ares Álvarez

Resin Interpretation Centre was designed by Óscar Miguel Ares Álvarez to stand out amongst other buildings in the village of Traspinedo in the municipality of Valladolid, but still look and feel familiar.

It retains the simple shape of the former slaughterhouse it occupies, but is covered in a uniform white skin to distinguish it as a new addition.

Resin Interpretation Centre by Óscar Miguel Ares Álvarez

"We covered the original building in an insulating sandwich-panel cladding," Ares Álvarez told Dezeen. "We wanted to reference the local style of architecture, but abstract it by wrapping the entire building with a single material."

Resin Interpretation Centre by Óscar Miguel Ares Álvarez

Additional references to local architecture include a large perforated swing gate at one of the building's gabled ends, which helps to filter daylight and provide security.

Resin Interpretation Centre by Óscar Miguel Ares Álvarez

"Not only does the gabled roof and scale refer to the local environment, but also other elements such as the large swing entrance gate were designed as a nod to local construction traditions," said Ares Álvarez.

Resin Interpretation Centre by Óscar Miguel Ares Álvarez

A steel-framed extension stretches along the length of the building's north side to provide additional space for offices, toilets and a utility room, and also features perforated metal screens at each of its gabled ends.

Resin Interpretation Centre by Óscar Miguel Ares Álvarez

The building was funded by the local authority to provide space for exhibitions in the village, and also provide employment training, storage for tools, and a place for people to work.

Resin Interpretation Centre by Óscar Miguel Ares Álvarez

The interior features a large island cabinet in the centre with tops that can be flipped up to display information, or flipped down to provide a flat surface for working. Mobile cabinets can also be wheeled around the room to provide additional space for work or displays.

Resin Interpretation Centre by Óscar Miguel Ares Álvarez

Walls have been lined with back-lit storage cabinets, covered in translucent polycarbonate panels that the architect describes as "illuminating veils". Ceiling supports and pipes have been left exposed to retain the building's industrial character.

"The structure of concrete trusses is original. Memory was an important issue in this project," said Ares Álvarez.

Resin Interpretation Centre by Óscar Miguel Ares Álvarez

The 234-square-metre centre was built for approximately €180,000 – around £140,000. "It was an exercise of limited resources, far from big budgets," said Ares Álvarez, who hopes that the design will foster a sense of ownership among the people in the village.

Resin Interpretation Centre by Óscar Miguel Ares Álvarez

"The architecture is raised from compositional approaches, taken from the surrounding area's formal references," he said. "The goal was to make it a building that is owned by its neighbours."

Resin Interpretation Centre by Óscar Miguel Ares Álvarez
The former slaughterhouse

Project credits

Architect: Óscar Miguel Ares Álvarez
Collaborators: Bárbara Arranz González, Jesús J. Ruiz Alonso, Elena Rodríguez Díaz, Alberto Ramos de la Cal, Jaime Pedruelo Sánchez
Construction management: Óscar Miguel Ares Álvarez, Javier Palomero Alonso
Photographer: Óscar Miguel Ares Álvarez
Investor: Ayuntamiento de Traspinedo
Engineers: CyA proyectos S.L.
Contractor: Conedavi S.L.

Resin Interpretation Centre by Óscar Miguel Ares Álvarez
Floor plan – click for larger image
Resin Interpretation Centre by Óscar Miguel Ares Álvarez
Long section – click for larger image
Resin Interpretation Centre by Óscar Miguel Ares Álvarez
Cross sections one and two – click for larger image
Resin Interpretation Centre by Óscar Miguel Ares Álvarez
Cross sections three and four – click for larger image

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Behind-the-scenes look inside one of the world's biggest slaughterhouses by Alastair Philip Wiper https://www.dezeen.com/2014/01/23/danish-crown-slaughterhouse-photo-essay-alastair-philip-wiper/ https://www.dezeen.com/2014/01/23/danish-crown-slaughterhouse-photo-essay-alastair-philip-wiper/#disqus_thread Thu, 23 Jan 2014 12:00:28 +0000 http://admin.dezeen.com/?p=407900 Photo essay: British photographer Alastair Philip Wiper toured the interior of one of the largest slaughterhouses in the world to create this series of images documenting how pigs are turned into pork, sausages and bacon (+ slideshow). Danish Crown is the world's largest exporter of pork, killing approximately 100,000 pigs a week to cater to

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Danish Crown Slaughterhouse photography by Alastair Philip Wiper

Photo essay: British photographer Alastair Philip Wiper toured the interior of one of the largest slaughterhouses in the world to create this series of images documenting how pigs are turned into pork, sausages and bacon (+ slideshow).

Danish Crown is the world's largest exporter of pork, killing approximately 100,000 pigs a week to cater to the growing global demand for meat.

Alastair Philip Wiper visited the company's abattoir in Horsens to capture a behind-the-scenes look at the entire process, starting at the pens where the pigs arrive and moving through the spaces where the animals are slaughtered, butchered and packaged for sale.

Wiper says he "finds it difficult to tolerate those who love eating meat, but cannot bear to think about, or look at, the slaughter and death of that animal", so each image in the Danish Crown Slaughterhouse is intended to reveal the entire butchering process, made visible by the transparency and openness of the spaces.


I am not a squeamish person. I love food, I love meat, and I particularly love pork.

In an ideal world, we would all get our meat from the guy in our village whose family has lovingly cared for their animals over generations, given the animals the best possible life, fed them only the best food, read them a bed-time story every night and given them kilometres of space to roam free in before being humanely and ceremoniously slaughtered by the patriarch of the family.

Unfortunately most of us don't live in that world, and while there is a strong case for a serious discussion about whether or not we really need to eat, or should be eating, as much meat as we do, that is a discussion for another day.

Danish Crown Slaughterhouse photography by Alastair Philip Wiper

The reality is that the society we live in craves meat, on a massive scale. Where there is a demand there will be a supply, and finding out how that supply is met is something that all meat-eaters should be interested in. As a food lover, I am firmly of the belief that people should think about, understand and respect their food (that includes vegetables!) and part of that respect is rooted in where the meat on your plate comes from and how it died.

I find it difficult to tolerate those who love eating meat, but cannot bear to think about, or look at, the slaughter and death of that animal. It seems disrespectful towards the animal, and if I wanted to get really eggy about it, I'm not sure if such people should be allowed to eat meat at all. So it was with great anticipation that I looked forward to my visit to the Danish Crown slaughterhouse in Horsens, touted as "the most modern slaughterhouse in the world".

Danish Crown is the world's largest exporter of pork, supplying pork to customers all over the world; 90 percent of the pork slaughtered in Denmark is exported, with the UK being the biggest market.

Completed in 2004, the slaughterhouse at Horsens kills approximately 100,000 pigs per week, making it one of the largest in the world. There are 1,420 people employed there, and the slaughterhouse receives around 150 visitors per day.

Danish Crown Slaughterhouse photography by Alastair Philip Wiper

The slaughterhouse has been designed with openness in mind; a viewing gallery follows every step of the production, from the pigs arriving, to the slaughter itself, to the butchering and packaging. I was genuinely surprised at the level of openness at the plant; Danish Crown wants to invite people in and say "look, this is how we do it".

The first part of the process is called the "black" slaughter line, and is in stark contrast with the minimalist, office-like corridors that surround the slaughtering area. We started off in the space where the pigs arrive - holding pens where up to 3,800 pigs (three and a half hours worth of slaughtering) will sit for one to two hours before they are slaughtered.

"Listen to that" says my guide, Agnete Poulsen. "Listen to what?" I think. "There are thousands of pigs in here, and you can hardly hear a sound. Have you ever heard the noise that 10 pigs can make? It's incredible. These are very calm pigs, and that’s the way we want them to be. This room has been designed to calm the pigs down before they go into the slaughterhouse. If the pigs are stressed when they are killed, the quality of the meat will not be so good."

Danish Crown Slaughterhouse photography by Alastair Philip Wiper

From there, the pigs are gently herded in small groups by a series of moving walls into a gas chamber, where they are rendered unconscious by C02 gas. A minute later, they tumble out of the chamber on to a conveyor belt from where they are strung up by their legs before being stuck in the carotid artery and bleeding to death.

The pigs continue on their journey along a long line, strung up by their legs. They disappear into a cabinet, where an automatic saw chops their body in half. Then a series of workers remove different organs from each side of the body - one lucky guy's job is to remove the brain, the next one the heart, and so on.

Needless to say, there is a lot of blood. As I mentioned earlier, I believe it is important to understand how an animal is butchered, and even try it yourself; but, I think to myself, I couldn't do this for a living. "Do you psychologically profile the guys who do these jobs? How do you know they won't crack up after a couple of weeks?" I ask Agnete. "Not at all" she replies. "They get used to it very quickly. You would too. We don’t force people to do this, they are happy to do it. It’s an honest job."

Danish Crown Slaughterhouse photography by Alastair Philip Wiper

All of the organs collected in this process move on to different sections of the plant where they will be processed further – there is always a part of the world where something we don’t eat here is a delicacy. From the "black" slaughter line, the pigs are hung for 16 hours in a refrigerated room, before moving on to the next line for general butchering by hand, then packaging, before being loaded on to trucks and whizzed off to far-flung places. At each step of the process, different parts of the pig are stamped, scanned and recorded, so that each piece of meat in the supermarket can be traced right back to the farm that it came from and the time it was slaughtered.

The slaughterhouse at Horsens was truly one of the most fascinating places I have visited on my travels. It is an experience that will leave a mark on my daily life, and help me to understand, just a little, about another important aspect of my food.

As you can probably tell, this is not an in-depth exposé of an industry, and my experience is not enough to knowledgeably critique the process of delivering Danish Crown bacon to your breakfast table; nor can I account for the processes of Danish Crown outside what I saw in Horsens. But I was pleasantly surprised by the openness of the plant about its operations and methods, and it is clear that when they designed the slaughterhouse they were thinking ahead in terms of what consumers will want to see from food producers: more transparency.

Danish Crown Slaughterhouse photography by Alastair Philip Wiper

And while I can't comment on the conditions of the lives of the pigs before they get to the slaughterhouse (the vast majority of which come from Denmark), I can only make an educated guess that, through my own experience as a resident of Denmark, the laws that govern the treatment of pigs would be about as strict or stricter as they would be anywhere else in the world. Anyone with any knowledge on that would be welcome to chip in. I am happy to admit that I finished my tour with a sausage in the canteen.

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Professional Cooking School in Ancient Slaughterhouse by Sol89 https://www.dezeen.com/2013/05/22/professional-cooking-school-in-ancient-slaughterhouse-by-sol89/ https://www.dezeen.com/2013/05/22/professional-cooking-school-in-ancient-slaughterhouse-by-sol89/#disqus_thread Wed, 22 May 2013 05:00:37 +0000 http://admin.dezeen.com/?p=319257 Spanish architecture studio Sol89 has converted a former slaughterhouse in the historic town of Medina-Sidonia into a school for training chefs (+ slideshow). Constructed in the nineteenth century, the building previously featured a series of outdoor paddocks and a large courtyard, used for storing livestock before the slaughtering process. As part of the renovation, Sol89

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Professional Cooking School in Ancient Slaughterhouse by Sol89

Spanish architecture studio Sol89 has converted a former slaughterhouse in the historic town of Medina-Sidonia into a school for training chefs (+ slideshow).

Professional Cooking School in Ancient Slaughterhouse by Sol89

Constructed in the nineteenth century, the building previously featured a series of outdoor paddocks and a large courtyard, used for storing livestock before the slaughtering process. As part of the renovation, Sol89 has extended the building into these spaces to create kitchens and classrooms.

Professional Cooking School in Ancient Slaughterhouse by Sol89

Like most of the town's architecture, white-painted walls surrounded the perimeter of the slaughterhouse site and now enclose both the new and old sections of the building.

Professional Cooking School in Ancient Slaughterhouse by Sol89

The original pitched roof is clad with traditional clay tiles, but the architects used modern flat ceramics to give a vibrant red to the asymmetric gables that make up the roof of the extension.

Professional Cooking School in Ancient Slaughterhouse by Sol89

"If we observe Medina-Sidonia from a distance, it seems to be a unique ceramic creation moulded by the topography of Medina," explain architects María González and Juanjo López de la Cruz. "The Professional Cooking School uses this idea of the moulded ceramic plane to draw its geometry. This roof lends unity to the built complex and interprets the traditional construction of the place."

Professional Cooking School in Ancient Slaughterhouse by Sol89

The original arched doorway remains as the entrance to the school and leads in via the old structure. Inside, the architects have replaced the original flooring with exposed concrete that skirts around a set of historic columns in the main hall.

Professional Cooking School in Ancient Slaughterhouse by Sol89

The kitchens are lined with tiles on the floors and walls. High level windows help to bring light in from above, while small glass courtyards are positioned at intervals to provide areas for students to grow vegetables and herbs.

Professional Cooking School in Ancient Slaughterhouse by Sol89

A few slaughterhouses in Spain have been converted to new uses in recent years. Others we've featured include an office and event space in Madrid and a cinema in the same city.

Professional Cooking School in Ancient Slaughterhouse by Sol89
Location plan

See more architecture projects in Spain, including the restoration of a coastal landscape in Cadaqués.

Professional Cooking School in Ancient Slaughterhouse by Sol89
Ground floor plan - click for larger image

Photography is by Fernando Alda - see more pictures of this project on his website.

Here's some more information from Sol89


Medina is a historic town in the hills in Cadiz. Its houses are known for their whitewashed walls and their ceramic roofs. The project involves adapting an ancient slaughterhouse, built in the XIX century, into a Professional Cooking School.

The ancient slaughterhouse was composed of a small construction around a courtyard and a high white wall that limits the plot. If you are going to act in the historic city you must adapting, taking shelter, settling in its empty spaces. The density of the architecture of the ancient slaughterhouse, where brick walls, stones and Phoenician columns coexist, contrasts with the empty space inside the plot, limited by the wall. The project proposes catching this space through a new ceramic roof that limits the new construction and consolidates the original building.

Professional Cooking School in Ancient Slaughterhouse by Sol89
Cross section - click for larger image

If we observe Medina Sidonia from a distance, it seems to be a unique ceramic creation molded by the topography of Medina. The Professional Cooking School uses this idea of the molded ceramic plane to draw its geometry. This roof lends unity to the built complex and interprets the traditional construction of the place, ceramic roofs and whitewashed walls. Some little courtyards are inserted, working as ventilation shaft, and are cultivated with different culinary plants which are used by the students to cook.

At the original building, ancient floors were replaced by slabs of concrete with wooden formwork that recognise traditional building forms, walls are covered with white and rough lime mortar which seeks material memory of its industrial past, and the existing Phoenician columns, displaced from the disappeared Temple of Hercules, have been consolidated. All of those materials, even the time, built this place.

Professional Cooking School in Ancient Slaughterhouse by Sol89
Context sketch

Architects: María González y Juanjo López de la Cruz. Sol89
Team: George Smudge (architecture student), Jerónimo Arrebola (quantity surveyor), Alejandro Cabanas (structure), Insur JG (building services), Novoarididian SA y Rhodas SL (contractors)

Client: Fundación Forja XXI
Location: C/ Rubiales S/N, Medina Sidonia, Cádiz, Spain
Area: 751 sqm
Completion date: 2011

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