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Stryker Sonoma
Geyserville, Calif.
Nielsen : Schuh Architects
Transparency allows the visitor to
observe the drama of winemaking
© Mark Darley / Esto |
For more photos click on 'photos
& drawings' above.
To see the people and products
behind this project click on 'people & products.'
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Taking cues from the natural environment,
the architects built a winery that captures the romance of
winemaking. The natural curvature of the terrain was left
intact and the buildings and site layout were designed to
reflect the geometry of the vineyard rows. Viewed from the
approach below, the structures emerge from the rugged zinfandel
vines, but lie below the mountain backdrop. The winery benefits
from its site—the slopes provide for the thermal efficiency
of below-grade cellars.
While the exterior design was influenced
by the surroundings, the winemaking process drove the functional
organization of the interiors. Visitors can view handcrafted
winemaking from small, vineyard-specific lots. Through glazing
and slotted screens, the architecture makes the vineyard and
winemaking activities transparent.
The roof structures are framed in a sparse,
delicate steelwork, overlaid with wood purlins and planking
or exposed metal roofing. Cast concrete screens shade working
areas, revealing components and activities. Raw, board-cast
concrete cellar walls form the core of the building, the cellar.
The winery experience culminates in the wine-tasting area,
accessible by a bridge. Glass curtainwalls open up to the
expanse of the vineyards and overlook the barrel cellar embedded
in the slope of the hillside. Stone terrace walls that extend
into the vineyard also provide space for events.
Formal name
of Project:
Stryker Sonoma
Location:
Geyserville, Calif.
Gross square
footage:
12,600 sq ft
Owner:
Stryker Sonoma Winery, LLC
5110 Highway 128
Geyserville, CA
T: 707-433-1944
www.strykersonoma.com
Architect:
Nielsen : Schuh Architects
1346 Legs Lane
Sonoma, California 95476
T: 707-996-2746
F: 707-939-1747
E: NSarchitects@aol.com
Richard Schuh and Amy Nielsen
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