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This region is known for using wooden barrels and an ancient georgian method of aging wine in amphoras burried in the ground. Relying on tradition, preserving our grandfather's values and using ancient but modernized methods and experiences from related regions is the way to natural and unconstricted wine. We knew that architecture has to house that mindset and send the same unequivocal message through the architectural language, just like the wine that is going to be housed in it. While visiting Donja Reka we noticed a wooden barn and an old stable with brick walls. That inspired us and was essential in making important decisions in the process of designing the building in regards to the typology and construction elements, placement of the building on the lot and choice of the materials.
Donja Reka is a settlement on the outskirts of the city Jastrebarsko, 40km from Zagreb, with mostly rural properties. Over the last 70 years, the Tomac family has formed an ensamble of houses that combine various functions in such surroundings. Due to the expansion of the vineyard's capacity, it was necessary to expand the winery by building an extension to the existing wine cellar. The extension is interpolated in a way that forms a new ensamble with a green plaza in the center. Near the winery there is a stream, forest and vineyard. The winery, with its conception and choice of materials, is integrated into that natural scenery and so becomes an integral part of the ecosystem that surrounds it, preserving the biodiversity.
Sustainability in construction is primarily associated with energy efficiency. We solved all technological needs related to building physics with the choice of materials. The Porotherm brick was the perfect solution in the sense of complying all the contemporary requirements. Even though it hides thermal insulation inside, it's not meant to be the finishing facade layer. Despite that, we used it for its authentic appearance on the facade and the interior of the winery. We were more interested in the topic of sustainable development and how our project could contribute to it. We used each building material in its raw naturalness. By using natural materials the winery attracts all kinds of wildlife that recognize it as a potential home.
Cellar – Reinforced Concrete: The underground floor connects the old and the new cellar, houses baskets for aging champagne in bottles and an archive with a circular floor plan. Ground Floor – Brick Walls: In the rectangular ground floor box reside wooden barrels. The load bearing system is made out of a reinforced concrete skeleton structure with a coffered ceiling and brick infill walls. The skeleton structure is visible only in the interior as it is covered by brick walls on the outside. The timber construction of the second floor is supported by the ground floor box and covers it like a hat. It forms covered spaces outside which are inevitable for the functioning of the winery, especially in harvest time. Attic – Timber Construction: The timber construction of the second floor forms an attic, which is used for the drying of agricultural produce. The elements of the wooden laminated structure and the wooden massif fence are a reminiscence to the traditional barn and its authentic ambience. Roof – Straw: On top of the winery is a roof garden for growing cultures used in biodynamic preparations surrounded by a thatched roof from all sides. Each spatial element is completed and defined by its own constructive material, and by nothing else but itself. Each of the materials used develops in depth, their surface is not the end. All of the materials will develop over time, as will the products that reside in it.
To make a wine without interventions, we as biodynamic winemakers have to use grapes the way nature produces them. The winery is in perfect synergy with our philosophy as it is completely made out of raw materials so we were able to identify with it immediately. It provides everything needed in the process of making wine - exterior covered spaces used during harvest season, spaces for the making and aging of wine and lastly a space for tasting the final product.
Dva arhitekta (Cro. two architects) is an architectural studio founded in 1992 by Tomislav Curkovic and Zoran Zidaric. Their first projects dealt mostly with interior design made with a minimal budget and a lot of effort, but quickly gained great recognition. In time, their primary focus shifted from interiors to family houses, a category which Dva arhitekta have branded with their own recognizable signature. Lately, they have been working on projects of varying typologies and scales. Spanning their 30 year long collaboration, they have been winners and nominees for the most important architectural awards in Croatia and lately abroad. Three years in a row they were shortlisted for The Plan magazine Awards culminating in 2016's win with The Wine Chateau project in the production category. Although they have worked mostly in Croatia, their scope extends even further, fuelled by numerous features in architectural magazines and sites, international book publications and exhibitions.
