Berlin, Germany
Αrtist Olafur Eliasson and architect Sebastian Behmann of Studio Other Spaces reveal their design for a wine tasting pavilion with a colorful, conic glass canopy on California’s hills.
The pavilion is designed on behalf of The Donum Estate, one of leading California’s Pinot Noir producers, that wished to create a special structure dedicated to tasting wine.
As the pavilion is currently under construction, the designers aim to enable a unique encounter between senses and surroundings.
The pavilion will offer a meandering journey through several horizontal layers of the site, landscape, and surrounding elements – resulting in a type of vertical panorama.
The pavilion will evoke the vineyard’s rolling terrain and the monumental Donum Collection, amplifying the bespoke sensory experience which fuses art and fine wine.
The Vertical Panorama Pavilion, as it is named, is envisioned as a synergy of art and architecture that manifests Studio Other Spaces’ vision of designing public spaces through interdisciplinary and experimental methodologies.
“By composing abstractions of nature taken from vertical slices through the Estate, the journey to the pavilion is a sensory discovery of sight, sound and smell,” said Sebastian Behmann, co-founder of Studio Other Spaces.
“The approach to the pavilion is a winding path carved into the land that slowly enters the pavilion under a large canopy, seamlessly merging the interior with the exterior. When visitors arrive at the pavilion to drink wine from the surrounding, their eyes, ears, and noses align with the terroir, where earth and sky meet alongside rich biodiversity.”
“Vertical panorama Pavilion creates a state of mind and body that aims at enhancing the wine tasting, making the experience of the wine itself unique and not repeatable – every day at The Donum Estate is inimitable, leaving a deep impression imprinted in our memories,” added Behmann.
The pavilion is orientated to be able to emphasize two main views – one looking south over the bay, including the vineyards and the typical vistas of the land, and one looking north over the Estate, focusing on the ground and the Donum Collection.
An adaptation of the topography on the South-East side of the pavilion breaks the prevailing winds and frames the scenic view of the landscape.
The key element of its design is its conic-shaped canopy which is inspired by the history of circular calendars.
The conical canopy is centered on a northern-oriented oculus and glazed with colored glass tiles depicting yearly averages of the four meteorological parameters at the Estate – solar radiance, wind intensity, temperature, and humidity.
The cone-shaped roof structure is supported around its perimeter by 12 structural stainless-steel columns sitting in the landscape.
The glass panels consist of 24 colors in variations of translucent and transparent hues, which resonate with the colors of the local environment in the Sonoma Valley.
The team uses a total of 832 laminated panels which are made of handmade recycled glass panels to cover the structure, featuring colored PVB interlayers and additional solar coating.
The canopy sheltered the three main circular spaces, which interlock one another to present an intimate wine tasting experience for small groups.
Underneath the oculus, the tasting space is furnished with flexible benches and tables, accommodating up to 12 guests.
The seating is arranged to unfold the scenery of the valley.
Sitting below the turf, one can fully emerge into the natural element of the Estate, becoming physically aware of the soil, the surrounding species, and all components necessary for creating the wine one is about to taste.
Project: Vertical Panorama Pavilion
Architects: Studio Olafur Eliasson and Studio Other Spaces GmbH
Lead Architects: Olafur Eliasson and Sebastian Behmann
Client: The Donum Estate
Photographers: Studio Other Spaces
