Omega Yeast
Throughout the past decade, the brewing industry has experienced rapid growth, surpassing over 8,000 operating craft breweries in the U.S. alone. As the consumer palette broadened, brewers across the country strived to quench a thirst for unique flavors and creative twists on traditional recipes, using advanced techniques and innovative ingredients. Within this booming industry, the founders of the company had found their niche, with an essential component for the production of craft beer: yeast. Omega Yeast now produces fresh, high quality and pitch-ready liquid yeast for Probrewers and Homebrewers.
The company started production out of a space within a costume store in Portage Park, Chicago, Illinois; due it’s advantageous location close to the Metra Commuter Rail, CTA, and I-90 highway. As one of the largest suppliers of brewing yeast in the U.S., demand quickly outgrew their space, and they purchased an existing building a block over, before realizing that demand was outpacing their renovation. During this renovation, Omega Yeast purchased the lots behind the Phase 1 building to further expand their operations across the alley and to build a new building truly tailored to their unique business. Recognizing that the program was a moving target, designers from Valerio Dewalt Train worked with Omega Yeast to expand their facilities within their recently acquired lots and develop an efficient flow of goods within the building.
Location
Chicago, IL
Expertise
Architecture, Interior Design, Research, Master Planning
Select Awards
Citation of Merit: Distinguished Building, AIA Chicago
Small Project of the Year, CoreNet Global 2021 Real Awards
Select Press
Inside Hook
World Architects
Archello
Photography
Tom Harris
Partners
Knoed Creative
JT Magen
Terra Engineering
Hugh Lighting Design
Confluence
Klein & Hoffman
Calor Design Group
AEGIR Brewing Systems
BrauKon
Malt Handling, LLC
Located within a residential area, it was important to Omega Yeast that they remain good neighbors, especially since their business also catered to local clientele. To achieve this, the loud production facilities were pushed to the back of the building, towards their existing facility and Metra Commuter Rail, leaving the quieter lab spaces, offices and the break room toward the residential streetfront. Designers took cues from the company’s recent rebrand, adopting its colors with white brick, black and white corrugated metal, warm wood finishes, and “Omega Yeast Blue” branding accents. Facing the neighborhood, the volume is minimally expressed, using black corrugated metal designed to make the building visually disappear behind landscaping on the street front.
The building is highly responsive to the Metra on the east side of the lot. The lab spaces on the second floor have wrap-around windows, elevated to face the platform—revealing a small glimpse of the science behind the yeast to passing commuters. Adjacent to the eastern wall are large silos for spent grain and dry grain, one of which is painted in brand colors with the logo to attract attention. By the alley on the north side, a small patio faces a large glazed opening that dramatically exposes the brewing facilities. Because it is mainly visible from the platform and alley, the patio is an open invitation to friends of Omega that see their colleagues and drop by for a drink.
As the largest supplier of brewer’s yeast in the U.S., the Omega Yeast production facilities are a quiet yet highly responsive integration to an established Chicago neighborhood. Its strategic location by the blue line, I-90 and the Metra Commuter Rail, along with mass-scale production equipment have facilitated continual growth for the company to meet the growing needs of the brewing industry.
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