The new 5,000 square-foot visitor center at Bouchaine Vineyards sits high atop a hill with sweeping vistas that overlook the existing historic winery building and vineyard located in Napa County, California. The hospitality building structure was specifically designed to enhance the vistas and incorporates a new tasting room, event center, corporate and staff offices, restrooms, and a large, scenic patio. Uniquely designed with a crescent shape as viewed from overhead and multi-directional curved roof, the structure is reminiscent of an open embrace. The unusual shape and contours of the building maximize the spectacular views of the vineyards and surrounding hills of the Carneros Region and in the distance frames the San Francisco Bay.
As the building was designed to have no straight or parallel lines, the radiused configuration welcomes visitors to an unparalleled experience when they enter the building. Inside, the Copeland Room features a massive see-through fireplace built with stone from a local Napa Valley quarry, with a large mantle made from reclaimed timbers. The room provides seating for up to 80 people. Cut from one tree, the striking bar in the tasting room is made from reclaimed solid cypress slabs and provides an inviting view of the terrace and beyond. Past the Copeland room is a 750 square-foot contemporary kitchen with an open-look design.
The curving roof structure combines a gradient of three different radii, with curves composed of segmented beams. At the center of the building, the featured upper roof contains the only smoothly curved steel framing in the structure to produce a graceful upward sweep. Much of the design, engineering and construction effort went into the development of the complex, soaring roof to deliver the “wow factor” that the owners wanted for their new visitor center to enhance their brand.
Photo Credit: Michael Hospelt Photography