Clos Pachem Winery – HARQUITECTES | Gratallops, Spain

Clos Pachem Winery, designed by HARQUITECTES, is a state-of-the-art biodynamic winery located in the historic village of Gratallops, Spain. Completed in 2019, this 1,117 m² facility integrates advanced passive design principles with traditional architectural elements, creating a sustainable environment optimized for winemaking. The project demonstrates a seamless balance between architectural innovation, functional winery spaces, and environmental sensitivity.

Site & Context Situated on an L-shaped polygonal plot in the heart of Gratallops, the winery is surrounded by narrow streets and historic row houses. The site’s defining feature is its boundary stone wall, a remnant of a former handball structure that rises up to 10 meters, providing a unique starting point for the project’s geometry. The building’s design carefully respects the village’s historic context while introducing contemporary functionality.

Architectural Concept & Layout The design divides the winery into two main zones:

1. The Winemaking Pavilion – A large, high-volume space that houses fermentation vats and acts as the project’s heart. Its three-story interior is insulated with 1.75-meter-thick walls and features a bioclimatic cooling system using multi-layered brick walls to maintain optimal temperature and air circulation.
2. The Passage (Z-shaped zone) – Encircling the main pavilion, this multifunctional corridor follows the irregular line of the stone wall, serving as a reception, circulation, and tasting space for visitors. The passage functions like a terraced garden with varying roof heights and slabs, allowing rainwater management and passive cooling while providing sheltered areas for outdoor wine tasting events.

Bioclimatic & Sustainable Design Clos Pachem Winery employs innovative passive strategies to support biodynamic winemaking:

• Thermal Inertia: Thick walls and high ceilings facilitate natural stratification of warm and cool air.
• Roof Cooling System: A closed-circuit water cycling system leverages night-time radiation to refrigerate interior spaces efficiently.
• Water Management & Green Roofs: Rainwater is collected and gently released through successive roof levels, irrigating vegetation and cooling the passage naturally.

Materiality & Aesthetic Externally, the winery features a vernacular aesthetic with lime mortar walls and tile-capped facades that harmonize with the village context. Internally, brick, timber, and deep structural walls convey robustness, while chapel-like cavities along the perimeter allow functional storage and circulation. The architectural language shifts from a modest street presence to a complex, high-tech interior that slowly reveals the building’s systems and processes.

Winery Functionality & Visitor Experience The facility balances production needs with visitor engagement. The vinification hall, barrel storage, and bottled wine storerooms are carefully controlled for temperature and humidity. Visitors experience a journey from the light-filled, welcoming passage to the dark, dense fermentation spaces, highlighting the contrast between public interaction and technical winemaking.

 Clos Pachem Winery is a masterclass in sustainable winery architecture, combining passive bioclimatic strategies, historic context, and biodynamic production needs. HARQUITECTES has created a building that is both functional and experiential, offering a unique narrative of wine,architecture, and environment.

All Photographs are works of Adrià Goula