Distillery Rubbens
Impossible? No way! Hendrik Beck, Managing Director of Rubbens Distillery, thought so too in his search for the ideal fire-resistant compartmentalisation between his distillery and brasserie with adjoining reception rooms.
Father and farmer Dirk Beck took over Stokerij Rubbens in 2007. Here, cereal cultivation, alcohol distilling and cattle breeding (for processing the distillery waste) have gone hand in hand for years. The recent expansion with a new brewing installation for the production of Rubbens Blond, Rubbens Dubbel and Rubbens Tripel beer has closed the loop from grain to spirit. Since 2009, Rubbens has been operating on the site of the former Produrac steelworks in Wichelen. The industrial character of the building adds an extra dimension to traditional activities such as spice distilling and bottling. When setting up the distillery in the old steel factory, the Beck family also wanted to preserve the authentic elements as much as possible.
Compartmentalisation with maximum visibility
Following the commissioning of the buildings, the fire brigade inspected the site and required the distillery to be fireproof compartmentalised from the brasserie and party room area. Beck set out to find a solution that respected the character of the site while maintaining maximum visibility and not interfering with day-to-day activities on the site. The first tracks examined did meet all the fire safety requirements, but at the same time did not do justice to the site by completely or partially fireproofing the openings. The view to the distillery was thus completely removed, which was just the eye-catcher for visitors to the brasserie or as a starting point for the many tours and gin tastings organised by Rubbens Distillery.
In-house production of fire-resistant joinery
But Beck persevered and kept looking for the ideal solution. This is how he eventually ended up at Altebra Waregem. As part of the Altebragroup, this business unit specialises in solving such challenges thanks to its extensive expertise in fire safety, taking into account current legislation, and its in-house production of fire-resistant joinery, known in the market under the name LyboPro.
The many misconceptions about fire-resistant glass were quickly dispelled. The solution designed and eventually installed by Altebra Waregem shows that the combination of large surfaces, visibility and fire resistance is indeed possible. All openings were fitted with aluminium profiles in combination with EI60 fire-resistant glass. At the bottom centre, a double fire-resistant door EI1 30 was provided, which should only serve as access for people and therefore not be suitable for pallet transport. The use of the glass ensures transparency and keeps the distillery visibly the beating heart of the site.