New winery for Château Petrus

This proposal, for the Château Petrus winery in Pomerol, France, takes inspiration from the domed forms of observatories and traditionally vaulted architecture of wine cellars.

situation

concept

process

Large arched portals, reminiscent of the doors to wine cellars, lead into a cavernous building divided into a series of vaulted rooms. Sixteen domes cover the various spaces of the winery, which include rooms for tasting as well as for the production and storage of wine. From a grid of intersecting circles, the domes change shape as they extend upwards, becoming flatter and terminating in elliptical oculi at their peaks. The openings were shaped in relation to the path of the sun: the sizes and angles are calculated to allow only specific amounts of sunlight to enter into the different chambers of the building, responding to the various lighting needs of the particular spaces housed within. Reflecting the rustic setting, the building is constructed predominantly from natural materials, such as clay and sandstone.

Location: Pomerol, France
Date: 2009