HIDDEN IN PLAIN SIGHT - Historic Parkmore Distillery (DUFFTOWN)

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Footage taken in 2017 as part of a broader piece of work (Adaptive Reuse of Disused Distilleries within North East Scotland, 2015) - aiming to explore whisky distilleries as part of the built environment and analyse their architectural merit.
Whisky represents Scotland within an international market and hence distilleries serve as cultural heritage symbols. However a combination of a changing industry and an economic downturn during the 1980’s has led to many buildings and structures being demolished or mothballed due to the lack of demand.
The study aimed to document buildings, some dating from the late 19th Century, and explore ways in which they can be adapted to prolong their legacy in the Scottish built environment. An appropriate solution needs to be found to deal with these structures. One such option is adaptive-reuse: this could pose three outcomes: modify existing “old” distilleries to be able to compete with modern counterparts, adapt them for alternate uses or demolish them completely. Finding the balance between retaining an icon of an area and advancing society could prove difficult. Especially if the quality of the icon is subjective and open to interpretation.
#distillery #whisky #architecture #heritage