FIRENZE – Last Fall saw the completion of a winery that lies almost imperceptible in the midst of vineyards surrounded by the hills of Chianti in Firenze, Italy.
With incredible landscapes comes the difficulty in architecture of not creating noise in the scenery, but to somehow enhance it. This reinforcement of the surroundings and the merging of working and natural environments were the main goals of Archea Associati’s partners Laura Andreini, Marco Casamonti, Silvia Fabi and Giovanni Polazzi when designing Antinori Winery.
The project became an ‘authentic expression of a desired symbiosis and merger between anthropic culture, the work of man, his work environment and the natural environment,’ the architects explain. This was partly achieved by integrating the building into the land’s features, turning the roof into a vineyard plot and extending the façade along the natural slopes.
Moreover, the materials and the eco-friendly technologies used serve to strengthen this ‘theme of studied naturalness’. Terracota covers the discrete façades of the building as well as the cellars at its heart and the earth is used to cool and insulate the winery, thus creating the ideal climatic conditions for wine production.
Images courtesy of Pietro Savorelli (except where indicated)