Project of the Week – Sokol Blosser Winery

The heart of the building is a beautiful cedar-clad pavilion, which is flanked by a library, an eat-in test kitchen, an in-ground cellar and VIP room. Generous overhangs as well as a secret garden — complete with stunning cedar decks and walkways — provide opportunities for enjoying wine, food and company in all seasons. As with the exterior surfaces, the interior is almost entirely clad in a warm and textured knotty grade of Western Red Cedar, as if the entire structure were carved from a single mass. “The materiality and detailing of the wood were central to the project vision,” explains Nathan Hamilton, Associate Principal at Allied Works Architecture. “Subtle pushes and pulls from square or rectangular forms give the building a more organic feel, just as the unity of materials blur the boundaries between interior and exterior. Altogether, the building simply feels more ‘of’ the landscape than any standard form of construction.”

FULLY INTEGRATED – The pavilion appears almost transparent with floor to ceiling glass allowing the landscape to visually flow through the building.

As for finishing, the AWA team opted for contrasting colors to emphasize public spaces. The outward facing façade was stained with a a dark, semi-solid stain, while the interiors and recessed areas of the exterior were finished with a transparent stain intended to preserve, as closely as possible, the natural appearance of the cedar, while maintaining that color over time. According to Hamilton: “Now in its seventh year, the cedar has maintained its fresh appearance and is weathering beautifully.”