Dandy Brewing Company – Calgary

“We particularly remember visiting the Dandy Brewing Company in Calgary, Alberta – which is a micro-brewery that was built in an industrial garage. The space is a small, simple room approximately 15m x 15m. While waiting for Nabeel I noticed that the floor had a very slight inclination from the front entrance to the back wall where the bar was located. Since the room was repurposed from a garage, I suspected that the additional plumbing requirement for the bar necessitated raising the slab. The designer could have raised the entire room by 150mm (6”) to accommodate the new plumbing but instead the solution merely involved raising the floor near the bar area and then gently sloping the rest of the floor towards the entrance. No stairs (or ramp) were required, and this universally designed space is truly accessible by everyone, everywhere. One would hardly notice that the entire room is really a long, gentle ramp! In fact, the fire extinguishers are placed at a height that is accessible by someone using a wheelchair.

Looking at the interior photo, one cannot discern that the floor inclines from the front to the back of the room. (Perhaps the observant patron might notice that the beer in the glass is not parallel to the table.)

On the exterior, it should be noted, that the entire landscape gradually slopes up to meet the entrance to the bar. The designer was masterful in creating an outdoor and indoor environment that has no barriers even when different grades and requirements may have introduced stairs, etc. to the experience.

Another example of a sculpted, organic design solution to grade changes can be found at Disneyland. There are no stairs or ramps along one’s journey: the entire park is universally accessible due to a thoughtful sculpting of the built environment to overcome grade changes.” (Booklet Positive Lived Experiences of Quality in the Built Environment 2023, p.115).

Google map link: https://www.google.ca/maps/place/The+Dandy+Brewing+Company+and+DandyPizza/@51.0351417,-114.0397204,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m6!3m5!1s0x53716521bdabb8b3:0x2c006f88d3aea143!8m2!3d51.0351384!4d-114.0371455!16s%2Fg%2F11b6dz2swl!5m1!1e1?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI0MDkxOC4xIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D