Guinness Tasting Rooms

Dublin, Ireland
2015

International visitor exhibition design

James Wignall was specially appointed by Bompas and Parr to design and deliver their first ever permanent exhibition, the Guinness Tasting Rooms, at the world-famous site in Dublin. The brief was a short yet powerful request – create a visitor taste experience to celebrate the qualities of Guinness.

A deep understanding of the existing assets was combined with alternatives to the traditional written interpretation to provide an experience like no other. Research into the Guinness archive and grain collection was used
to create an environment where the taste of Guinness was at the centre of every design decision.

Attracting over 2 million visitors a year, the Guinness Storehouse and the taste experience has been a great success, providing a unique attraction and product showcase.

“The unveiling of The Tasting Rooms here in the Guinness Storehouse marks
an exciting development into the realms of experiential and sensory tasting innovations.”
Catherine Keegan, Visitor Experience Manager at the Guinness Storehouse

Photography by Donal Murphy and Guinness Store House

SERVICES PROVIDED
RIBA works stages 1-4:
• Definition of brief
• Scoping and research
• Development of interpretation strategy
• Development of narrative
• Concept design
• Design of audio interpretation
• Design of graphics
• Design of physical interventions
• Detailed design and co-ordination
• Site visits to review quality and detailing

 James Wignall working for Bompas and Parr, led the design of the Guinness tasting rooms – The best place in the world to drink Guinness.