Bombay Sapphire Distillery, Laverstoke Mill, London Road, Whitchurch RG28 7NR

Illustration by Andrew Cadey

The glasshouses at the Bombay Sapphire Distillery are a masterclass in adaptive reuse, blending Victorian industrial heritage with 21st-century sculptural design.

Designed by Heatherwick Studio and opened in 2014, the twin structures are composed of 893 individually shaped glass panels held by over a kilometre of bronze-finished stainless steel frames. Rather than standing as isolated objects, the glasshouses appear to "flow" directly from the historic mill buildings, their forms inspired by the distillation process itself. 

Functionally, the structures are as much an engineering feat as an aesthetic one. They utilise waste heat from the gin distillation process to maintain two distinct climates: one tropical and one Mediterranean. These environments house the ten exotic botanicals—including juniper, coriander, and grains of paradise—used in the vapour-infusion process. By rooting the structures in the River Test, the design creates a literal and symbolic connection between the distillery’s natural ingredients and its historic Hampshire setting.

Limited first edition print run of 75