Peregrine Winery

Peregrine Winery in Otago, New Zealand by Architecture Workshop, 2004

Architecture Workshop recently received an ar+d Emerging Architecture Award for the Peregrine Winery in their native New Zealand. Located in Central Otago, the Winery sits within rugged mountains and lakes of the the country's South Island, a location suitable for growing Pinot Noir grapes, Peregrine's mainstay. It is fitting that an award-winning winery would have its very own award-winning architecture.

The Winery is named after the Peregrine falcon, a bird in the same family as New Zealand's native Falco novaeseelandiae, whose orphaned raptors the Winery helps protect. Needless to say, Peregrine rolls off the tongue easier than Falco novaeseelandiae! It is apparent that the architect found inspiration in this name, designing a wing-like, canted glass canopy that covers the underground operations of the Winery.

In the mountainous landscape of Otago, the glass wing gives the Winery a presence it would otherwise lack if attention was only given to the production of wine. But the 140m (460') long roof does serve a purpose: "it obviates the need to allow for snow loads on the building below, and removes most of the solar heat gain from the production rooms, where stable temperatures are important," according to ar+d's award report. The change in pitch also illustrates the linearity of the subterranean process, from picked grapes to wine barrels.

Again, from ar+d's award page: "But in the end, the building did not earn its award for careful organization of the production process (though that was obviously not unimportant). The huge, calm gently curving silvery canopy floating over the massive base, all set among the orderly vineyards, makes an irresistible and poetic vision of civilization amid wild nature, and the jury was unanimously convinced by it." As am I.