Stoney Rise Cellar Door
As you approach Stoney Rise, the building unfolds. Operating in the round, it welcomes you with different faces to the landscape, depending on your perspective. The site is notoriously windy, so as you enter the building, you’re sheltered and enveloped by protective timber, tucking you away from the views. It’s only as you enter the cellar door that the landscape is revealed again. Emphasised by dark recessive framing, you see eastern views of kanamaluka (River Tamar), and western views of trousseau grapes.
From the absence of a blackboard to an acoustic panelled ceiling, our design encourages conversation. A big, strategically placed conversation counter allows groups to gather and chat to vineyard owner Lou as they first enter. This also enables the cellar door to operate with minimal staff members for most of the year outside peak Tassie tourist season.
Even with a small footprint, there are plenty of different spaces within Stoney Rise. Balancing indoor-outdoor space and a sunny spot out of the wind was an important part of our design. Brick edges, plinths and an outdoor fireplace offer space to gather around. Our design prompts you to stay a little longer and have another glass on the grass, or hang your legs on the edge of the terrace.
We also fitted a commercial kitchen to allow Stoney Rise to adapt into a pop up restaurant by night. Though stocked with only the bare essentials, the kitchen allows Stoney Rise to host evenings with celebrated chefs.
Flashes of colour offer an understated nod to red and white grapes. As you first enter the cellar door, a burgundy steel door handle hints at the experience beyond. Then ‘Black Cockatoo’ paint in the bathrooms turns from black to shades of deep green depending on the light. Powder coat leant both bespoke and cost-effective steel detailing a cohesive look. Other simple gestures bring your attention to the wine too, like bottles displayed by elegantly protruding brickwork ledges.
We ground the building into the landscape with a rich brick base in tones that nod to Stoney Rise wine. A local brick manufacturer made the bricks for the walls, each of which was rated carbon neutral for sustainability. Thanks to the brick’s thermal mass, the space is naturally heated and cooled without need for a central system.
A strong collaborative relationship between client, Cumulus, builder, joiner and bricklayers shows in the material detailing. By prioritising locally-sourced, natural, long-lasting materials, the design has the same integrity as the Stoney Rise brand.
Cumulus Studio
Cumulus was formed out of the idea that collective vision leads to richer, more diverse and creatively interesting experiences.
We collaborate to create clever and enduring architecture for people to experience connection with place. We believe that neither people nor design should be squeezed into a typology or identity and we pledge never to own a style.
Credits
Client: Stoney Rise Wine Company
Designer/Studio: Cumulus Studio
Country: Australia
Photographs: ©Anjie Blair
