DOMAINE DE BEAUCASTEL
Château de Beaucastel, a historic wine estate situated in the heart of the Quaternary terrace of Châteauneuf du Pape and known for its exceptional terroir. The Perrin family has been engaged and cultivated the land, producing wine through a bio-dynamic process for over 5 generations.
The family’s intention was to expand the existing winery and to provide for an infrastructure that would endure for future generations.
Our proposal for this extension roots itself in the idea of terroir. Tuned into the cyclical flux of the moon, the project harnesses materials found in the immediate environment. The construction, primarily made from the earth excavated, compressed and relocated in a balance of cut and fill, provides a volume of space for the wine cellars and a water cistern set into the earth.
The cistern collects water from the rain. Reservoir for the water used in the wine making process, it is also used as a passive mechanical device modulating the mistral air through the interiors in a process of passive cooling. This method allows for the spaces to maintain an optimum temperature and humidity for the maturing of wine.
Archetypal building materials such as brick, stone, lime, clay and earth are used in a manner, methods of making that allow for the quality of the building and its environment to be self-reliant and improve through time.
More than a singular architectural gesture, it is a set of measured responses designed to belong and endure.
