An architectural masterpiece, Le Dôme Winery by Foster + Partners, opens its doors to the public

Foster + Partners has designed the new Le Dôme Winery in Saint-Émilion, Bordeaux, blending the low-lying building seamlessly with the region's UNESCO World Heritage Cultural Landscape. The design and engineering of the winery have resulted in a state-of-the-art facility for the internationally renowned wine, Le Dôme. The building's form is grounded in creating a structure that looks both inwards and outwards, providing an efficient space for wine production while engaging in dialogue with the surrounding landscape.

The founder and executive chairman of Foster + Partners, Norman Foster, states that the client approached the firm with a desire to create a distinctive new winery that focused on the views of the vineyard and made the landscape the primary protagonist in the design. Thus, the architects had to create a building that blended with the surroundings while creating a welcoming space for visitors and wine enthusiasts.

Approaching the winery, visitors traverse a tree-lined avenue, leading to a circular-plan building. The building's spatial definition comes from a combination of two ramps, one external to emphasise the relationship with the site, and the other internal, allowing visitors to walk through the different stages of the wine process. Both ramps lead up to a gallery on the upper level, forming the social heart of the building, complete with tasting tables, an elegant wine bar, and entertainment spaces, all wrapped by 360-degree views of the adjoining vineyards.

The industrial and architectural design teams worked closely together from the outset to create an interior design solution that is an integral part of the architecture. A curved wine bar looking out onto the vineyards alongside circular tables forms the tasting area to the left. In contrast, a circular atrium allows people to look down onto the wine production and storage spaces below, providing a unique and holistic experience for visitors. To the right of the entrance, discrete office pods help create space for focused work within a busy environment.

The 40-metre diameter timber roof is a unique reciprocal structure consisting of mutually supporting sloping beams that span over a large column-free space. The roof naturally creates a 6-metre-wide oculus at its centre, which allows daylight to flood the upper level. The roof is clad with recycled local terracotta tiles, while the base of the building is made with concrete using aggregate from the region and covered with timber slats. The building is partially buried into the ground to reduce its visual impact on the terrain and increase thermal mass performance. The building reinforces the landscape by creating a hill-like form that echoes the gentle slopes surrounding it.

In conclusion, the Le Dôme Winery in Saint-Émilion, Bordeaux, is a state-of-the-art facility designed to blend seamlessly with the region's UNESCO World Heritage Cultural Landscape. The architects at Foster + Partners have created a structure that looks both inwards and outwards, providing an efficient space for wine production while engaging in dialogue with the surrounding landscape. Visitors are welcomed into a space that creates a holistic and unique experience, complete with tasting tables, an elegant wine bar, and entertainment spaces, all wrapped by 360-degree views of the adjoining vineyards. The building's design reinforces the landscape by creating a hill-like form that echoes the gentle slopes surrounding it.

 

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Photos ©Nigel Young / Foster + Partners