Sustainability Report
Embodied carbon
The winery was not designed with the explicit goal of meeting sustainability certifications and no whole-life carbon analysis was conducted — such assessments are not yet required under Hungarian regulations. Nonetheless, several material and construction strategies helped reduce embodied carbon.
- During excavation, large volumes of soil and stone were removed. Instead of being discarded, the soil was transported to a nearby abandoned quarry, helping to heal a scar in the UNESCO World Heritage landscape. The excavated stone was reused for retaining walls and foundation works, minimising the demand for new raw materials.
- For cladding, the architects specified Süttő limestone, a material with a long history in Hungarian architecture. While quarried 150 kilometres away, it was considered more suitable than the local volcanic tuff, which is brittle and not frost-resistant. The stone’s durability and ease of carving ensure longevity, further reducing lifecycle impacts.
Operational Emissions / Energy
More than two-thirds of the building’s volume is located underground, where the surrounding soil stabilises internal temperatures and reduces reliance on mechanical cooling. The sculpted, bowl-shaped forms and planted green roofs further insulate the structure, while narrow slit-like openings and carefully oriented glazing minimise heat gain and maximise daylight without overheating the interiors.
Energy performance is supported by a heat pump–based mechanical system and heat recovery technologies. The winery also operates an on-site wastewater treatment system that processes the full volume of water used in winemaking, which is then reused for irrigation.
Photovoltaic panels are currently being installed to expand the use of renewable energy on site.
Afterlife
Although the winery was designed for a specific production and hospitality programme, several features lend themselves to potential future adaptability. The largely underground production areas, with their robust concrete structure and stable climate, could be repurposed for other forms of storage or processing if needed. The above-ground visitor spaces, shaped as intersecting lenses supported by slender steel columns, have open interiors that could accommodate alternative uses beyond wine tourism.
In terms of material reuse, certain elements were considered with disassembly in mind. Excavated stone was repurposed for retaining walls and structural works, reducing reliance on new raw materials. The limestone cladding, assembled in modular panels, could in principle be dismantled and recycled at end of life. The planted roofs, using traditional soil build-up and native meadow vegetation, return easily to the landscape with minimal intervention.
Key products in low carbon design
