Rehabilitation of a Mill and Construction of a Wine Storehouse

The program consists on a rehabilitation of a mill and a construction of a wine storehouse. The project, wrapping around the mill, expresses two attitudes: to the east, a place of silence and maturation; anchored in the landscape, it forms a new base for the mill. The work of winemakers takes place here. To the west, a place for sharing and tasting. The two entrance walls invite visitors to sit in the planted courtyard, explore the gallery, and taste the wine. Due to the precense of seashells in the composition of the walls, the new construction evokes the site's proximity to the ocean.

The project is located along the « Three Mills Road ». To preserve the historical relationship between the three mills facing each other across the road, the concept was to maintain the mill as the core of the project and the only elevated element on the site. With restricted buildable area and significant volume requirements for the winery, the wine storehouse was designed as a compact semi-underground construction, allowing the mill to remain dominant in the landscape. The site, set along a touristic axis, aims to offer a program that goes beyond technical functions, creating a new space for gathering, learning, and walking. The building presents a set of full and empty spaces, articulated by the two entrance walls. These walls guide visitors along the pedestrian paths while protecting the winemakers' areas from the west winds. Visitors can discover the winemaking process by moving around the mill, without disturbing the work of the winemakers located on the basement level.

The buried parts are made of banched concrete and pre-walls (inner part of the circle, near the mill). The excavation enables gravity-based operations during pressing at harvest time and allows the cellar to benefit from the earth's thermal inertia. The elevations are made of 37.5 cm thick monolithic brick, left raw on the inside. This single material combines structural function and ensures the thermal and hygrometric stability necessary for the cellar, avoiding the need for extra materials. The insulated parts (tasting room, mill) use bio-sourced insulation. A lime plaster, composed with local sands, was specifically developed for the project. Due to its grain size and shades of colour, it offers a lively facade depending on the seasons. The building is scalable, designed for an operation exceeding 10 hectares (currently 6 hectares planted): the vat room has sufficient space to accomodate this evolution.