The National Wine Centre
Adelaide, South Australia
Cox Grieve Architects

A center devoted to the wine industry echoes the winemaking process in its design

© Trevor Fox

For more photos click on 'photos & drawings' above. To see the people and products behind this project click on 'people & products.'

Commissioned to design a 64,500-square foot facility that represents Australia's wine industry, the architect Phillip Cox sought to reflect "the good things in life, wine and food" with simple materials. Like a good wine, the materials are pared down to their essentials, but layered to create richness.

The relatively coarse materials found at the entry of the center evolve into finer proportions and smoother textures at the rear. The scale of the spaces similarly progresses from the public to the personal—the grand scale of production leads to the intimate scale of wine appreciation in the tasting room.

Building technologies from traditional to state-of-the-art demonstrate the two sides of wine production: the holistic agricultural approach combined with high-tech winemaking. Rammed earth, an ancient building technique, becomes a modern architectural element by using steel that permits grand, yet slender walls. The architects engineered a shell structure roof made of domestic timber and prestressed with stainless steel cables.

In addition to the influence of winemaking, the natural environment shaped the design and construction of the project. In an effort to unite the interiors with the external landscape, the architecture engages the surroundings. The vaulted concourse filters light into the subterranean cellar, the entry ramp is contained within an arcing timber screen, and a grand scale rammed-earth wall guides visitors to experience the Center in a sequential manner.

Formal name of Project:
The National Wine Centre

Location:
Adelaide, South Australia

Gross square footage:
65,000 sq. ft.

Total construction cost:
$16 million

Owner:
The National Wine Centre

Architect:
Cox Grieve Architects, an association of Australia's Cox Architects & Planners and Adelaide- based Grieve Gillett Architects

Cox Richardson Architects & Planners
Level 2, 204 Clarence Street
Sydney 2000
NSW
Phone: (02) 9267 9599
Fax: (02) 9264 5844