New cellar ... modular
Tradition and innovations in the design of cellars
A research conducted on the most recent wineries creations, in Italy and abroad, highlighted how the state of the design of contemporary cellars is characterized by the presence of some necessary starting conditions, first of all the need to invest in the development of the company. wine, combined with a client aware of the fact that today the themes of communication, catering, culture and entertainment are also linked to the world of wine.
Last to emerge, but not least, was the need to give rise to an integrated project that knows how to combine the functional needs that are the basis of the production of a good wine with the creation of an eco-sustainable architecture, of great aesthetic quality, which can be associated with the new image of a company that is transformed into a place for sharing experiences related to wine and spaces for cultural and commercial activities, and which becomes the fulcrum for the enhancement of an entire territory.
New structures join the tradition of old buildings
From this study some fundamental characteristics emerged that the project of a contemporary cellar must follow:
- The search for a rationalization of the winemaking processes, with extreme attention to the environmental context, which influences the quality of the wine;
- The presence of areas used for hospitality activities to support the productive one;
- The persistence of the characteristics of the territory in the materials and construction techniques;
- The flanking of existing buildings with new and recognizable but never intrusive interventions;
- The recovery and enhancement of existing buildings.
Faced with the construction of new buildings, there is in fact a growing interest in the recovery of historic buildings, which have been the headquarters of wineries for decades, which have an undoubted attraction and allow us to express the company's roots in the territory and in the production tradition. typical.
The project of a modular cellar
This work aims to define the design criteria that can combine the aspects highlighted by the research on the state of the art with the need for interventions at low cost, quick to implement, easily standardized but at the same time customizable, which respond effectively to the needs. posed by the quality wine production process.
The area used for tasting and display is part of the modularity of the structure
The visiting spaces of the cellars are a significant attraction for food and wine tourism or more generally for rural tourism in the area concerned. For the success of the project, a good integration of the visiting spaces with the operational ones becomes essential, and at the same time the reduction of the interference of the presence of visitors in the processing areas. The winery is also equipped with representative and reception rooms for visitors and communicates the characteristic features of its product in them. The project of the transparent prism that houses the tasting area and that is projected onto the external panorama.
Plan of the modular cellar, highlighting the areas and the visitor's path.
Detail of the storage area, also this wine area crossed by the visitors' path
Sustainability of modular cellars
The various aspects of the design have necessarily been studied considering building sustainability as a guideline, understood as a method that distinguishes, through concrete and decisive choices, the entire process of construction and management of buildings over time. In this sense, issues related to both the overall conception of the production building and the specific functional and technical-construction characteristics were analyzed. The project provides for storage rooms defined by completely or partially underground enclosures, roofs covered with rows of vines and thick walls to advantageously combine the time lag of the heat wave with natural cooling by ventilation.
The sloping roof lends itself easily to hosting solar and photovoltaic systems, depending on the energy needs of the company.
The recovery of rainwater will ensure a water reserve for the waste water from the toilets, irrigation and internal cleaning of the cellar.
The characterizing elements of the project are:
1. The supporting skeleton: the prefabricated structure in laminated wood, made up of elements that are easy to assemble, assumes different inclinations and dimensions according to the possibilities of expanding the cellar. A shape that, starting from zero, allows you to obtain lower spaces with a controlled microclimate, dedicated to refining the wine in barrels, to reach higher spaces that act as a cover for the storage tanks.
2. The slope of vineyards: an embankment with a geometric texture, covering the prefabricated structure, fits into the orographic trend of the ground, superimposing a rational design that becomes the measure of the place. The perception of volumes is lost in the landscape at the same time, thanks to an integrated organic intervention, a structure which, due to its functions and activity, develops mainly hidden in the ground, integrating into the landscape without any environmental impact.
3. From grapes to wine: the paths of visitors follow the production line in parallel, passing from ground paths to elevated walkways, combining tradition with innovation, in a structure that has the ability to accompany guests in total immersion in the world of wine, gradually, making the cellar place of knowledge and research.
4. The place of the sixth sense: the graft of the transparent prism, which houses the tasting and display area, in the modularity of the structure, becomes a place where visitors live new sensory experiences, projected outside the large window that frames the panorama, finding a relaxed and enjoyable.
Tradition and innovation in the modular cellar
The modular cellar project proposed by Showine is therefore characterized by its strong charge of innovation, manifested in the original concept. A project that envisages the evolution of the traditional cellar, dedicated to exclusively productive and operational activities, into a multifunctional structure designed to meet the new hospitality needs.