The task was to design a winery for a family company on the mountain called "The Old Mountain", near village Novosedly, Moravia, the Czech Republic. There was supposed to be a restaurant, a tasting room, a show room, a hotel, a flat for owner and his family and a space for winemaking.
Studied area The land is located at the southern end of the Old Mountain ridge, surrounded by vineyards from all sides, has a rectangular plan with dimensions of 110 m x 40 m. The longer sides are facing north-south.
Concept The stepping stone for this project was the intended atmosphere and its unique position. The atmosphere was defined by these terms: poetry, warm, recess, shade, intimacy, lee side, silence, peace - which evokes a monastery. It was so a first key. The second key was its already mentioned position and also the influences of traditional local architecture. A study of the platforms of the traditional outbuildings in the area revealed that the most usual shape were two elongated buildings defining a semi-enclosed yard which directly follows the landscape. The third key was an order. We can feel a very particular sensation while standing in the vineyard. This phenomenon can be described as “a total landscape”. A man feels subconsciously the harmony between his interventions into nature and the nature itself. The sense of harmony can be felt especially when we are standing right between the rows in vineyards – the landscape becomes more grasp. In case of winery buildings – an order is omnipresent. Stacked wine barrels, lined up vinificators, stored bottles etc. The entire building keeps an order which derivates from the distance between the vineyard rows – 3 m. This distance is reflected in construction of whole building and is visually distinctive for example in case of span vaults or peristyle of interior corridors.
The gradual development of the basic schema transformed a closed monastery into a farmhouse with two above-ground buildings which are open to the landscape and allow the flow of energy that flows along the ridge of The Old Mountain, passes through the yard and escalates into open space, which arise on the roof of the technological part of the winery.
Underground space is designed for wine - humidity and cold are perfect for wine processing. Aboveground spaces are light and transparent – grasp at the first sight which is in contrast with concrete vaults and cellars. This contrast gives more levels to the project. Aboveground buildings are separated in 2 parts – accommodation part which includes winemaker´s flat and a guest rooms and the social part where we can find a restaurant, an utility rooms and an office. There is also an entry to the cellar. A mezzanine floor with two domed rooms serves for guests of the winery – there is a view on the stored wine through a large window and they can admire also the technical background of the winery. This part is put forward of the volumes as the multiphase construction would be possible.
