Paris-based Carl Fredrik Svenstedt Architect (CFSA) used one-ton blocks of stone local to a south-eastern part of France famous for winemaking for hundreds of years.
The 47,000-square-foot Domaines Ott Winery rises from a stepped concrete foundation set into a hillside and includes two adjacent elevations, one of which has a gentle curve.
Each stone block of the facade is about 0.5m high, rising to just over 10m in total and housing large stainless steel and wooden barrels that need protection from the sun's rays.
Gaps in the elevations give a light and airy, yet solid, almost fortified feel, to the overall design and screen rooms and courtyards.
CFSA used beige limestone from quarrier Carrières de Provence, which has used material from a pit dating to Roman times and cut blocks with diamond disc rotors.
“Using stone quarried nearby was coherent for the insertion of such a large building into the landscape,” said architect Carl Fredrik Svenstedt.
“At the same time the stone has fantastic thermal properties for a winery in a hot climate, with great mass inertia and hygrometry, while also being very accessible financially.”
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