Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/766392
90 WINES&VINES January 2017 CONSTRUCTION INTERVIEW duction areas, we look to express the concrete and steel structures, including the structur- ally insulated panels frequently utilized for the building skin. Concrete floors with con- crete wainscots help protect the structure from damage by forklifts or moving equip- ment. On two of our recent projects—Law Estate Winery in Paso Robles and the Star- mont tasting room in Napa—we incorporated steel, both painted and rusted, and con- trasted these hard, solid materials against warm, clear-finished wood and glass to allow not only good natural lighting but also an interesting play of solid and transparent. In the tasting room, we have more choices for materials, but again, we start with materi- als that are natural to the site or inherent to the building systems being used. Concrete, steel and glass are used frequently, along with porcelain tile. Natural stones are also a good material for use on the floor or countertops. Wood is a nice way to warm things up. Often we look for the harder woods, such as a wal- nut or teak, but you can also use fir. Up until 15 or 20 years ago, wood was frequently used in the production areas. But as the industry has learned, one of the big issues with wood in these locations is that is can be a vehicle for TCA. We often don't use wood at all in production areas. If we do, it's only used on the ceiling or other locations where there is little to no exposure to cleaning agents. Q How are you addressing energy efficiency? Goodwin: Energy and resource efficiency is especially important in a winery, which fre- quently occupies valuable agricultural land and utilizes significant resources to construct and operate. Thus, designing facilities so they sit lightly on the site and convert as little agricul- tural land to impermeable uses as possible are important considerations. The first and most basic step to achieving these goals is the overall orientation of the building. While considering views, site topog- raphy and existing vegetation, we aim to or- ganize the building plan and massing to optimize solar access. We also study wind patterns to determine whether prevailing breezes might be used to help cool building spaces or need to be screened to support use of outdoor areas. Since wineries are often in regions with very warm summer days, we also focus on creating shade during these times of the year—both for building openings as well as for occupied outdoor spaces. When the site and project support it, we will seek opportuni- ties to stack uses in multiple building levels or bury certain parts of the facility in caves or underground structures to minimize the build- ing skin and utilize the natural insulating properties of the earth. During the early design process, our first priority is creating a very efficient exterior envelope with high thermal insulation. We think about the way openings are positioned so views and natural daylight are featured but also to limit the amount of solar gain to the inside of the building. Obviously, spaces such as barrel storage do not want natural light, but in other wine-production areas, we provide north-facing windows or windows that are shielded from direct sunlight, so during the day and throughout most of the year, lights can be turned off during normal working hours. Almost all of our wineries are pre-wired for photovoltaic panels so that if they don't install the panels during initial construction, they can easily do so later. A number of wineries, for various reasons, do install PV panels after the building is completed. For Starmont Winery, completed in 2006, the decision to add PV panels was made while the building was under construction. At that time, the payback period was estimated to be seven years; however, after the facility was up and running, the combina- tion of a very efficient building design, tax incentives and higher levels than anticipated of electric generation resulted in a payback period of approximately 3.5 years. Utilizing the best materials, in combination with windows and site orientation, can create spaces that self-regulate temperature, which is why many BAR-designed wineries' fermen- tation rooms don't require air conditioning. They are naturally ventilated with night cool- ing provided through a reversal of the carbon dioxide-exhaust system. Q How is water conservation being addressed? Goodwin: Water conservation is an important consideration in winery design as well as an increasingly important aspect to gaining pub- lic approvals for a new wine facility. Rainwa- ter collection and storage cisterns for reuse are now pretty typical. Almost all of our win- eries are designed to collect as much rainwa- t e r a s p o s s i b l e f r o m r o o f s a n d o t h e r impermeable surfaces not used for wine pro- duction. Working with our consulting engi- neers, this water is directed into holding tanks and reused as irrigation during the spring months. In California, where there is a short rainy season and a long dry period, it's almost impossible to collect enough rainwater to ir- rigate even the ornamental landscaping of a winery year-round. On several projects we've looked into utilizing storm water to supply non-potable plumbing fixtures including toi- lets and urinals. Local building departments are becoming more open to considering and approving these methods of water reuse. The biggest component of water usage in wineries is the production process and the equipment itself. There are many winery equip- ment options offering reduced water usage as well as systems for capture and reuse of the less-contaminated cycles of operation. While architects don't typically select or specify the winemaking equipment, we are cognizant of what's available and work closely with wine- makers to help identify equipment that might save large amounts of water. Another huge aspect of water conserva- tion is the treatment of production waste- The Starmont tasting room (left) brings its somewhat rustic setting indoors while still appearing very clean and modern. At Law Estate (right), a stairway connects the tasting room to the barrel-storage area.